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Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors as prophylaxis against febrile neutropenia

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Abstract

Myelosuppression secondary to chemotherapy remains a serious adverse effect of cancer therapy that causes high morbidity and mortality. Several current European and American guidelines recommend consideration of primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) when the risk of febrile neutropenia is higher than 20 %. The main factors associated with a high risk of febrile neutropenia include the chemotherapy regimen, tumor type, and patient-related factors such as old age and/or comorbidities. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the most relevant clinical trials and updated recommendations of the main guidelines on the role of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) in febrile neutropenia, examining whether the combination of G-CSF with chemotherapy improves overall survival. Future directions for G-CSF use are also discussed.

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Conflict of interest

S Cortés de Miguel has received an unrestricted research grant from Amgen, Inc. (Europe). MA Calleja-Hernández, S Menjón-Beltrán, and I Vallejo-Rodríguez have no other conflicts of interest. The interpretation and reporting of these data are the sole responsibility of the authors. All authors reviewed the paper and approved the final version.

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Cortés de Miguel, S., Calleja-Hernández, M.Á., Menjón-Beltrán, S. et al. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors as prophylaxis against febrile neutropenia. Support Care Cancer 23, 547–559 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2459-x

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