Purpose: To evaluate the impact of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) priming on peripheral-blood cell counts during standard-dose chemotherapy.
Patients and methods: Twelve patients with relapsed small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) were treated with two chemotherapy courses. Six patients received G-CSF priming only before the first course (group A) and the other six patients only before the second course (group B). Each patient served as his own control. Patients were treated with cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and etoposide (CEE), or with vincristine, ifosfamide, mesna, and carboplatin (VIMP) every 4 weeks. G-CSF was administered subcutaneously 5 microg/kg/d for 6 days until 48 hours before the first or second chemotherapy course.
Results: Priming caused a lowering of the WBC nadir, with a median value of 0.95 x 10(9)/L (P = .004), and of absolute neutrophil nadir, with a median value of 0.48 x 10(9)/L (P = .03). There was a trend for a lower platelet (PLT) nadir after G-CSF priming (P = .09). G-CSF priming resulted in a prolonged duration of WBC count less than 3.0 x 10(9)/L of +4.25 days (P = .04), and of WBC count less than 1.0 x 10(9)/L of +0.50 days (P = .03). The duration of neutropenia less than 0.5 x 10(9)/L seemed longer in primed courses (+3.75 days, P = .18). The duration of PLT counts less than 100 x 10(9)/L was prolonged by 1.5 days (P = .04). Hemoglobin (Hgb) levels were not influenced by G-CSF priming.
Conclusion: G-CSF administration until 48 hours before the next chemotherapy course increases chemotherapy-associated leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. This may be of special concern when G-CSF is administered during dose-densified chemotherapy.