Clinical and economic benefit of G-CSF administration in the prevention of chemo-induced neutropenia

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) is a frequent complication in cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy, which can result in life-threatening infections requiring prolonged hospitalization and increasingly cost management. Furthermore, scheduled chemotherapy may be reduced or delayed as a result of CIN, which negatively affects prognosis. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) stimulate neutrophil production and maturation, and can therefore reduce the incidence and severity of neutropenia. A pegylated form of filgrastim, pegfilgrastim, has been developed, and various trials have shown that a single fixed dose (6 mg) per chemotherapy cycle is safe and effective in adult patients regardless of their body weight, thus making it a simple, effective, and well-tolerated option. This paper summarizes recent clinical data and analyses its place in the context of recent guidelines.