Cancer prevention & control : CPC = Prévention & contrôle en cancérologie : PCC
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Cancer Prev Control · Aug 1998
Practice Guideline Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial GuidelineUse of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Provincial Systemic Treatment Disease Site Group.
1) Does G-CSF reduce the incidence of important adverse clinical outcomes due to infections in patients with cancer treated with myelosuppressive therapy? 2) Does G-CSF allow maintenance of the chemotherapy dose with the goal of improving survival? ⋯ In cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may be beneficial for some patients. If a reduction in the number of febrile neutropenic episodes, or in the duration of such episodes, is expected to improve quality of life, then G-CSF is a reasonable treatment option for selected patients. A clear justification for the use of G-CSF should be stated. If the objective of using G-CSF is to maintain dose intensity of antitumour agents, then G-CSF can be recommended where reduction in dose intensity has been shown in randomized controlled trials to reduce survival or disease-free survival. Although the evidence is weaker, the Systemic Treatment DSG would support the practice endorsed by other guidelines (American Society of Clinical Oncology, Ontario Drug Benefit Plan) and would recommend G-CSF for patients receiving potentially curative chemotherapy: i) as primary prophylaxis; that is, where dose reductions below a specified level are required because of a known high risk of febrile neutropenia, or ii) as secondary prophylaxis in patients receiving chemotherapy of established efficacy who have suffered a prior serious episode of febrile neutropenia due to the same chemotherapy regimen. The exact cut-off for dose reductions is unknown at this time and ought to be left to the judgement of the clinician. In general, the use of G-CSF for dose reductions lower than 20% is not recommended. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)