Safety and efficacy of once-per-cycle pegfilgrastim in support of ABVD chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

The effect of concomitant use of Colony-Stimulating factors on bleomycin pulmonary toxicity - A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Changes in the incidence of bleomycin pulmonary toxicity (BPT) as a result of adding colony-stimulating factors (CSF) to bleomycin regimens has been investigated in numerous studies. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the outcomes of these studies.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed using Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase on April 2021. Studies evaluating the incidence of BPT in patients receiving bleomycin with and without CSF were included. In addition, meta-analysis was performed by pooling odds ratios using R.

RESULTS

Out of 340 obtained records, our qualitative and quantitative analysis included 3234 and 1956 patients from 22 and 14 studies, respectively. The quantitative synthesis showed that addition of CSF significantly increased the risk of BPT incidence (OR = 1.82, 95 % CI: 1.37-2.40, p < 0.0001; I2 = 10.7 %). Subgroup analysis did not show any association between continent, bleomycin dose, cancer type, type of study, and pulmonary function test with BPT incidence.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that co-administration of CSF with bleomycin increases the incidence of BPT. The physicians need to consider this finding while deciding the best strategy for this cohort of patients.

Pegfilgrastim in Supportive Care of Hodgkin Lymphoma

Simple Summary

Pegfilgrastim, the pegylated form of filgrastim (recombinant human GCSF) is widely adopted as supportive care for preventing neutropenia or febrile neutropenia episodes during chemotherapy. Neutropenia is directly cause of potentially severe infections and indirectly cause of treatment delivery delay. No guidelines address the pegfilgrastim role in the specific setting of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Since HL is a young-adult disease and shows mostly a very a favorable outcome after chemotherapy, treatment delay or dose reduction could potentially affect negatively the outcome. The aim of our review is to explore the current scientific literature on pegfilgratim use in HL, evaluating both observational than prospective trial. Moreover, analyzing the latter, we aim to define some practical suggestion about primary prophylaxis with pegfilgrastim in HL.

Abstract

Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia are common and potentially life-threating events associated with chemotherapy treatment in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Neutropenia-related infectious events could be an issue both for direct clinical consequences and for delay in treatment delivery, affecting final outcomes in a potentially highly curable disease. Pegfilgrastim is the pegylated form of filgrastim, the recombinant form of human G-CSF, capable of prevent and mitigate neutropenic effects of chemotherapy, when adopted as primary prophylaxis in several hematological malignancies. No updated version of major international guidelines provides clear indication on prophylaxis use of pegfilgrastim in HL to prevent febrile neutropenia episodes in HL. Moreover, to date, scarce and non-uniform clinical experiences evaluating pegfilgrastim as prophylaxis in HL are present in the literature. Herein, we propose a brief summary of the literature data about efficacy and safety of the use of pegfilgrastim as primary prophylaxis in HL during chemotherapy treatment.

The incidence of bleomycin induced lung toxicity is increased in Hodgkin lymphoma patients over 45 years exposed to granulocyte-colony stimulating growth factor †

In Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) bleomycin can induce pulmonary toxicity (BPT). BPT consists of respiratory tract symptoms during bleomycin-exposure and radiologic pulmonary lesions without concomitant infection. Older age, bleomycin dose, smoking history and the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) have been suggested as possible risk factors for BPT. It is still debated whether BPT affects overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). We investigated the incidence of BPT along with possible risk factors in 412 HL patients treated in 1990-2014. BPT occurred in 34 patients (8%) and was significantly associated with disseminated disease and B-symptoms. It was more frequent in elderly patients (p = .05) but not significantly correlated with a history of smoking. BPT occurred more often in patients receiving G-CSF (p = .03), particularly the poly-ethylenglycol-bound molecule. All significant risk correlations were limited to the age group >45 years. In the present cohort, BPT did not influence OS or PFS regardless of age.

Clinical management of HIV-associated hematologic malignancies

HIV is associated with an excess risk for lymphoid malignancies. Although the risk of lymphoma has decreased in HIV-infected individuals in the era of effective combination antiretroviral therapy, it remains high. Treatment outcomes have improved due to improvements in HIV and cancer therapeutics for the common HIV-associated lymphomas. R-CHOP/R-EPOCH are the standard of care for HIV-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. HIV-infected patients with Burkitt lymphoma and good performance status should receive dose-intensive regimens. HIV-infected patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma can respond favorably to high-dose methotrexate-based therapy. In many cases, treatment and expected outcomes for HIV-infected patients with either Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are very similar to HIV-negative patients. There is currently no standard treatment for HIV-associated multicentric Castleman disease or primary effusion lymphoma. For those hematologic cancers in which transplantation is part of standard care, this modality should be considered an option in those with well-controlled HIV infection.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in secondary prophylaxis for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma treated with ABVD chemotherapy: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is commonly administered to patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) with neutropenia. We constructed a decision-analytic model to compare the cost-effectiveness of secondary prophylaxis with G-CSF to a strategy of 'no G-CSF' in response to severe neutropenia for adults with advanced-stage HL treated with ABVD. A Canadian public health payer's perspective was considered and costs were presented in 2013 Canadian dollars. The quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) attained with the G-CSF and 'no G-CSF' strategies were 1.403 and 1.416, respectively. Costs for the strategies with and without G-CSF were $38,971 and $33,982, respectively. In the base case analysis, the 'no G-CSF' strategy was associated with cost savings and improved QALYs; therefore, 'no G-CSF' was the dominant approach. For patients with severe neutropenia during ABVD chemotherapy for advanced-stage HL, a strategy without G-CSF support is associated with improved quality-adjusted outcomes, cost savings, and is the preferred approach.

Risk assessment in the management of newly diagnosed classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with 2 major types of risk: that the treatment may fail to cure the disease or that the treatment will prove unacceptably toxic. Careful assessment of the amount of the lymphoma (tumor burden), its behavior (extent of invasion or specific organ compromise), and host related factors (age; coincident systemic infection; and organ dysfunction, especially hematopoietic, cardiac, or pulmonary) is essential to optimize outcome. Elaborately assembled prognostic scoring systems, such as the International Prognostic Factors Project score, have lost their accuracy and value as increasingly effective chemotherapy and supportive care have been developed. Identification of specific biomarkers derived from sophisticated exploration of Hodgkin lymphoma biology is bringing promise of further improvement in targeted therapy in which effectiveness is increased at the same time off-target toxicity is diminished. Parallel developments in functional imaging are providing additional potential to evaluate the efficacy of treatment while it is being delivered, allowing dynamic assessment of risk during chemotherapy and adaptation of the therapy in real time. Risk assessment in Hodgkin lymphoma is continuously evolving, promising ever greater precision and clinical relevance. This article explores the past usefulness and the emerging potential of risk assessment for this imminently curable malignancy.

How I treat advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma

The development of curative systemic treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma was recently voted one of the top 5 achievements of oncology in the last 50 years (http://cancerprogress.net/top-5-advances-modern-oncology). The high expectation of cure (above 80%) with initial therapy, even for advanced disease, is tempered by the recognition of some important limitations: not all patients are cured, especially those in older age groups, and patients have suffered debilitating or, in some cases, fatal long-term side effects. The challenge for modern treatment approaches is to improve the cure rate and, at the same time, minimize the long-term damage resulting from treatment. After several decades during which we have tested a variety of different ways to combine conventional cytotoxic treatments with or without radiotherapy but have identified no effective new approaches, the field is once again moving forward. The developments that hold the greatest promise in this respect are the application of functional imaging with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to make an early judgment of the success of treatment and the introduction of some highly active new agents such as antibody-drug conjugates.

A study to investigate dose escalation of doxorubicin in ABVD chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma incorporating biomarkers of response and toxicity

Background:

Myelotoxicity during initial cycles of chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with better outcome, supporting the concept of individualised dosing based on pharmacodynamic end points to optimise results. This study was performed to identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of doxorubicin within cycles 1–3 ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine). Circulating biomarkers of response (nucleosomal DNA, nDNA) and epithelial toxicity (Cytokeratin 18, CK18) were also measured.

Methods:

Dose escalation of doxorubicin in cycles 1–3 ABVD supported by pegfilgrastim was performed on a six-patient cohort basis (35, 45 and 55 mg m^–2) with doxorubicin reduced to 25 mg m^–2 or omitted in cycles 4–6 to maintain cumulative exposure of 103–130% standard ABVD. BVD was given at standard doses throughout. Six additional subjects were recruited at the MTD.

Results:

Twenty-four subjects were recruited. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of grade 3 neuropathy, pneumonitis, palmar-plantar erythema and neutropenic infection were observed at 55 mg m^–2, so 45 mg m^–2 was declared the MTD. In patients who subsequently experienced DLT at any time, large increases in CK18 were seen on day 3 of cycle 1 ABVD.

Conclusion:

Escalated ABVD incorporating doxorubicin at 45 mg m^–2 in cycles 1–3 can be delivered safely with pegfilgrastim support. Circulating cell death biomarkers may assist in the development of future individualised dosing strategies.

Lungs on fire

A 50-year-old man was diagnosed as classical Hodgkin's lymphoma stage III B. He had been a reformed smoker and has had a coronary artery disease as his comorbidity. He was started on adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD)-based chemotherapy. An interim disease evaluation was suggestive of metabolic complete response after four cycles of ABVD. After completion of his sixth cycle, he presented with low-grade fever, dry cough, generalised malaise and increasing dyspnoea on exertion. FDG (18 fluoro-deoxyglucose) positron emission tomography (PET)-CT revealed intensely FDG avid diffuse activity in mid and lower zone both lung fields. He was started on intravenous steroids along with broad spectrum antibiotic and antifungal cover. Clinical, radiological and laboratory assays did not reveal any infective pathology. He was diagnosed as bleomycin-induced pulmonary toxicity (BIP). Despite best supportive care, his pulmonary functions deteriorated and he developed cardiac arrhythmias. He finally succumbed to the irreversible chemotherapy toxicity of a curable malignancy.

Intermittent granulocyte colony-stimulating factor maintains dose intensity after ABVD therapy complicated by neutropenia

INTRODUCTION

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) is commonly used to maintain dose intensity in patients receiving ABVD chemotherapy (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) for Hodgkin lymphoma. However, the need for growth factor support is unclear, with studies suggesting that dose intensity can be maintained without G-CSF. Moreover, G-CSF is expensive (pegfilgrastim: EUR 1540/cycle; 300 μg filgrastim for 7 days: EUR 700/cycle) and is associated with side effects including bone pain and increased risk of bleomycin lung toxicity. Intermittent G-CSF may be an effective compromise, given that the effect of G-CSF on granulocyte precursors in vitro persists for 4-5 days after administration. After promising results of a pilot study, this schedule has been used subsequently in the majority of our patients receiving G-CSF as secondary prophylaxis for ABVD complicated by neutropenia.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of the incidence of febrile neutropenia and treatment delay in a variety of different G-CSF schedules used as secondary prophylaxis in patients receiving ABVD.

RESULTS

848 cycles in 85 consecutive patients were evaluated. Most patients (86%) received G-CSF, generally commenced prophylactically for neutropenia when cycle 1B was due. Intermittent G-CSF (typically given on days 4, 8 and 12) was used in 413 cycles compared with daily or pegylated G-CSF in 99 cycles. In patients receiving intermittent G-CSF, the median neutrophil count, across all cycles, was 7.3 × 10(9) /L (range: 1.4-47.1) when the next scheduled chemotherapy was due. There were two cases of febrile neutropenia (0.45%) and no treatment delays. One patient developed possible bleomycin toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Intermittent G-CSF is effective in maintaining dose intensity in patients receiving ABVD.

Chemotherapy only for localized Hodgkin lymphoma

Radiation therapy (RT) alone and more recently in combination with chemotherapy (combined modality therapy; CMT) has been the cornerstone of curative treatment for early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) for over 40 years. Because of increasing awareness of the late morbidity and mortality associated with RT, recent treatment regimens have attempted to limit its use. Chemotherapy only has been demonstrated to be a treatment option for most patients with localized HL. Current clinical trials have targeted subgroups of such patients who may be at an increased risk of recurrence for the addition of limited RT to chemotherapy.

2010 update of EORTC guidelines for the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to reduce the incidence of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in adult patients with lymphoproliferative disorders and solid tumours

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a major risk factor for infection-related morbidity and mortality and also a significant dose-limiting toxicity in cancer treatment. Patients developing severe (grade 3/4) or febrile neutropenia (FN) during chemotherapy frequently receive dose reductions and/or delays to their chemotherapy. This may impact the success of treatment, particularly when treatment intent is either curative or to prolong survival. In Europe, prophylactic treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factors (G-CSFs), such as filgrastim (including approved biosimilars), lenograstim or pegfilgrastim is available to reduce the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. However, the use of G-CSF prophylactic treatment varies widely in clinical practice, both in the timing of therapy and in the patients to whom it is offered. The need for generally applicable, European-focused guidelines led to the formation of a European Guidelines Working Party by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the publication in 2006 of guidelines for the use of G-CSF in adult cancer patients at risk of chemotherapy-induced FN. A new systematic literature review has been undertaken to ensure that recommendations are current and provide guidance on clinical practice in Europe. We recommend that patient-related adverse risk factors, such as elderly age (≥65 years) and neutrophil count be evaluated in the overall assessment of FN risk before administering each cycle of chemotherapy. It is important that after a previous episode of FN, patients receive prophylactic administration of G-CSF in subsequent cycles. We provide an expanded list of common chemotherapy regimens considered to have a high (≥20%) or intermediate (10-20%) risk of FN. Prophylactic G-CSF continues to be recommended in patients receiving a chemotherapy regimen with high risk of FN. When using a chemotherapy regimen associated with FN in 10-20% of patients, particular attention should be given to patient-related risk factors that may increase the overall risk of FN. In situations where dose-dense or dose-intense chemotherapy strategies have survival benefits, prophylactic G-CSF support is recommended. Similarly, if reductions in chemotherapy dose intensity or density are known to be associated with a poor prognosis, primary G-CSF prophylaxis may be used to maintain chemotherapy. Clinical evidence shows that filgrastim, lenograstim and pegfilgrastim have clinical efficacy and we recommend the use of any of these agents to prevent FN and FN-related complications where indicated. Filgrastim biosimilars are also approved for use in Europe. While other forms of G-CSF, including biosimilars, are administered by a course of daily injections, pegfilgrastim allows once-per-cycle administration. Choice of formulation remains a matter for individual clinical judgement. Evidence from multiple low level studies derived from audit data and clinical practice suggests that some patients receive suboptimal daily G-CSFs; the use of pegfilgrastim may avoid this problem.

A single dose pegfilgrastim for supporting neutrophil recovery in patients treated for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia by the EMA 2000 schedule

Dose intensity has been demonstrated to be one determinant for treatment efficacy in younger adults with high-risk (relapsed and refractory) acute myelogenous leukemia. Between 2000 and 2006, 56 patients entered the EMA 2000 study and received timed sequential reinduction chemotherapy. From 2004, chemotherapy was also followed by one subcutaneous dose of pegfilgrastim. Thirty-six patients reached a complete remission, while nine obtained a partial remission. Median time to granulocyte and platelet recovery was 34 and 38 days respectively. The major non-hematologic toxicities were severe infections but despite this 23 remitters could proceed to their post-remission treatment, although 13 did not because of severe toxicity or early relapse. The median overall survival was 9.3 months. The EMA 2000 regimen is a highly effective treatment with a response rate of 64% and a low early death rate. The period of critical neutropenia was relatively short in both phases and the supportive use of pegfilgrastim, although showing a trend toward reduced neutropenic period, did not appear to reduce the risk of infection in this group and may not be a critical requirement for reducing the risk of treatment-related toxicity.

PEGylated polymers for medicine: from conjugation to self-assembled systems

Synthetic polymers have transformed society in many areas of science and technology, including recent breakthroughs in medicine. Synthetic polymers now offer unique and versatile platforms for drug delivery, as they can be "bio-tailored" for applications as implants, medical devices, and injectable polymer-drug conjugates. However, while several currently used therapeutic proteins and small molecule drugs have benefited from synthetic polymers, the full potential of polymer-based drug delivery platforms has not yet been realized. This review examines both general advantages and specific cases of synthetic polymers in drug delivery, focusing on PEGylation in the context of polymer architecture, self-assembly, and conjugation techniques that show considerable effectiveness and/or potential in therapeutics.

Implications of the European Organisation for Research And Treatment Of Cancer (EORTC) guidelines on the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for lymphoma care

Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a potentially life-threatening complication of myelosuppressive chemotherapy. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) guidelines recommend use of primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis if the overall FN risk to a patient is >or=20%, or if a reduction in chemotherapy dose intensity correlates with a poorer outcome. Many of the regimens used for treatment of lymphoma, including R-CHOP (rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone), are associated with an FN risk of approximately 20% or higher. Individual patient factors that may increase the risk of FN such as advanced age or advanced disease should be taken into account when assessing the need for G-CSF support. Predictive models are being developed to facilitate individual risk assessment. Additional anti-infective prophylaxis may be indicated in some settings. There is now much evidence for the benefits of G-CSF in reducing the incidence of FN and facilitating delivery of chemotherapy, including dose-escalated and dose-dense (interval-reduced) regimens. If given according to guidelines, G-CSF has the potential to reduce FN and related morbidity. Furthermore, by facilitating delivery of planned chemotherapy, use of G-CSF may potentially influence survival in the curative setting. Implementation of the EORTC guidelines will lead to a greater proportion of patients receiving G-CSFs, but the costs involved should be at least partly offset by a reduction in FN and its associated costs, including those of hospitalization.

A single dose of pegfilgrastim compared with daily filgrastim for supporting neutrophil recovery in patients treated for low-to-intermediate risk acute myeloid leukemia: results from a randomized, double-blind, phase 2 trial

Background

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are often neutropenic as a result of their disease. Furthermore, these patients typically experience profound neutropenia following induction and/or consolidation chemotherapy and this may result in serious, potentially life-threatening, infection. This randomized, double-blind, phase 2 clinical trial compared the efficacy and tolerability of pegfilgrastim with filgrastim for assisting neutrophil recovery following induction and consolidation chemotherapy for de novo AML in patients with low-to-intermediate risk cytogenetics.

Methods

Patients (n = 84) received one or two courses of standard induction chemotherapy (idarubicin + cytarabine), followed by one course of consolidation therapy (high-dose cytarabine) if complete remission was achieved. They were randomized to receive either single-dose pegfilgrastim 6 mg or daily filgrastim 5 μg/kg, beginning 24 hours after induction and consolidation chemotherapy.

Results

The median time to recovery from severe neutropenia was 22.0 days for both pegfilgrastim (n = 42) and filgrastim (n = 41) groups during Induction 1 (difference 0.0 days; 95% CI: -1.9 to 1.9). During Consolidation, recovery occurred after a median of 17.0 days for pegfilgrastim versus 16.5 days for filgrastim (difference 0.5 days; 95% CI: -1.1 to 2.1). Therapeutic pegfilgrastim serum concentrations were maintained throughout neutropenia. Pegfilgrastim was well tolerated, with an adverse event profile similar to that of filgrastim.

Conclusion

These data suggest no clinically meaningful difference between a single dose of pegfilgrastim and multiple daily doses of filgrastim for shortening the duration of severe neutropenia following chemotherapy in de novo AML patients with low-to-intermediate risk cytogenetics.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00114764

Prophylactic use of filgrastim with ABVD and BEACOPP chemotherapy regimens for Hodgkin lymphoma

ABVD (doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine) and BEACOPP (bleomycin/etoposide/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/vincristine/procarbazine/prednisone) are the most widely used regimens for the treatment of patients with advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma. Both regimens are associated with significant neutropenia. Maintaining the planned dose intensity is considered an important goal to achieve when using curative therapy. Therefore, prophylactic use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely used to support these regimens and is mandatory to support BEACOPP-escalated and BEACOPP-14 to reduce toxicity and treatment delays. Recent retrospective studies are discussed which have reported using ABVD without G-CSF support. However, randomized studies are needed to clarify the role of primary prophylaxis with ABVD and BEACOPP-baseline regimens. Secondary prophylaxis should be considered in all patients, especially those who develop neutropenic fever.

Low incidence of neutropenic events in patients with lymphoma receiving first-cycle pegfilgrastim with chemotherapy: results from a prospective community-based study

BACKGROUND

Most alterations to chemotherapy dose and schedule are because of neutropenic events, which mainly occur in the first chemotherapy cycle. This prospective, community-based study evaluated the effectiveness of pegfilgrastim in patients with lymphoma who were also receiving chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients aged > or = 18 years with cancer other than leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes were eligible, including patients with major comorbidities who were generally not eligible for most clinical trials. Key exclusions were weekly chemotherapy and concurrent radiation therapy. Patients received pegfilgrastim 6 mg approximately 24 hours after chemotherapy in each cycle (up to 8 cycles). Endpoints included neutropenic complications and serious adverse events.

RESULTS

This open-label single-arm study enrolled 2249 patients at 319 sites. Of these 2249 patients, 325 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and 46 patients with Hodgkin disease were included in the primary analysis set. The median age was 65 years for patients with NHL and 41 years for patients with Hodgkin disease, and 31% and 26% had major comorbidities, respectively. Few patients experienced neutropenic complications, including grade 4 febrile neutropenia (patients with Hodgkin disease: 0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0-8%]; patients with NHL: 13% [95% CI, 10%-17%]); febrile neutropenia-related hospitalization (patients with Hodgkin disease: 0 [95% CI, 0-8%]; patients with NHL: 10% [95% CI, 7%-14%]), neutropenia-related dose reduction (patients with Hodgkin disease: 0 [95% CI, 0-8%]; patients with NHL: 5% [95% CI, 3%-8%]), and neutropenia-related dose delay (patients with Hodgkin disease: 0 [95% CI, 0-8%]; patients with NHL: 5% [95% CI, 3%-8%]). Serious adverse events were consistent with those observed in patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Patients with lymphoma receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy supported by pegfilgrastim experienced few neutropenic complications or neutropenia-related alterations in chemotherapy dose and schedule.

Peg-filgrastim versus filgrastim after autologous stem cell tranplantation: Case-control study in patients with multiple myeloma and review of the literature

We investigated the effects of a single s.c. injection of peg-filgrastim in 32 patients with multiple myeloma who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (AuSCT) as first line treatment. For comparison, 32 myeloma patients with similar characteristics and receiving standard daily administration of filgrastim were matched. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences between peg-filgrastim and filgrastim in terms of tolerability, marrow recovery, severity of neutropenia, incidence and duration of febrile neutropenia, documented infections and transfusions. However, some favourable trends or effects in favour of peg-filgrastim were observed. This was confirmed by a review of the published papers about this topic.

Pegfilgrastim compared with filgrastim after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients with solid tumours and lymphomas

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of pegfilgrastim administered as haematological support after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, we compared 44 patients with solid tumours and lymphomas receiving a 6-mg single dose of pegfilgrastim on day +5 after transplantation to a historical control group of 25 patients receiving filgrastim 5 microg kg(-1) day(-1) starting on day +5. There were no significant differences in haematological recovery nor in the incidence and duration of neutropenic fever. Median duration of grade 4 neutropenia in the pegfilgrastim and filgrastim group was similar. The incidence of grade III-IV mucositis was lower in pegfilgrastim than in filgrastim group due to the significant difference observed among the patients with solid tumours (p = 0.00). The only adverse event considered to be cytokine related was mild to moderate bone pain occurring during haematological recovery. According to the present study design and taking into account the current prices in our institution, the cost of the two drugs was similar in both treatment groups. In conclusion, a single injection of pegfilgrastim administered at day +5 post-transplantation shows comparable safety and efficacy profiles to daily injections of filgrastim and may be cost effective.