Usefulness of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor on Neutropenia in Patients of Invasive Mole and Choriocarcinoma

Abstract

The effect of human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (hG-CSF) was investigated on the proliferation of choriocarcinoma cells in vitro. No growth-stimulating effect was observed. Then, 22 patients with invasive mole and 9 patients with choriocarcinoma who received combination chemotherapy were treated with hG-CSF when white blood cell counts decreased below 2,000/ mm³. The duration of neutropenia was reduced significantly by 3-4 days with the use of hG-CSF. No side effects were observed. These results indicate safety and usefulness of hG-CSF as an adjunct to chemotherapy in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic disease.

Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia

“…To decrease the incidence of severe neutropenia, which occurs almost universally with these protocols, and to avoid treatment delays, G-CSF is administered on days 6-14 of each treatment cycle, and a complete blood count is obtained on days 8 and 15. 80 Another approach to improving response to secondary therapy for high-risk disease is to administer chemotherapy agents with known activity at doses much higher than usual. Collins et al 81 treated a patient with refractory disease in the lung and brain after both EMA-CO and PVB chemotherapy with very high dose etoposide, 4,200 mg/m 2 at 60 hours IV infusion and cyclophosphamide 50 mg/kg IV daily, for 4 days without bone marrow support.…”