title: Benefits of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor after stem cell transfusion in intensive sequential chemotherapy for breast cancer.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and economic benefit of filgrastim given with intensive sequential chemotherapy. Women with poor-prognosis breast cancer received four cycles of high-dose cyclophosphamide (3 g/m2) and doxorubicin (75 mg/m2), followed by filgrastim 5 microg/kg/dy, stem cell collection after the cycle 1, and stem cell infusion after cycle 3 and cycle 4. The first cohort received filgrastim after the fourth cycle but the second cohort did not.Thirty three patients were included in the first cohort and 13 in the second. The results indicate that the duration of grade IV neutropenia was shorter in the group given filgrastim as was the median time to recover an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 1.0 x 10(9)/L. The rate and duration of the rehospitalizations were higher in the group not receiving filgrastim. We found that costs such as drugs and hospitalizations were significantly higher (p = 0.032 and p = 0.049) in the non-filgrastim-treated group. Using ANC > 1.0 x 10(9)/L as an intermediary efficiency criterion it was more cost effective to give filgrastim. It can be concluded from this study that filgrastim can decrease the duration of grade IV neutropenia in patients receiving intensive sequential chemotherapy. This, in turn, reduces the cost of hospitalization. However, in our study, this reduction of neutropenia did not have any impact on further therapy.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viens
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Genre
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Protière
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gravis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertucci
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cowen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camerlo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chabannon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Novakovitch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Finaud
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Moatti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maraninchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000191:economics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D000069585:Filgrastim; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000191:economics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D000069585:Filgrastim