Abstract
Bacterial and fungal infections continue to pose a major clinical challenge in patients with prolonged severe neutropenia after chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). With the advent of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize neutrophils in healthy donors, granulocyte transfusions have been broadly used to prevent and/or treat life-threatening infections in patients with severe febrile neutropenia and/or neutrophil dysfunction. Although the results of randomized controlled trials are inconclusive, there are suggestions from pilot and retrospective studies that granulocyte transfusions may benefit selected categories of patients. We will critically appraise the evidence related to the use of therapeutic granulocyte transfusions in children and adults, highlighting current controversies in the field and discussing complementary approaches to modulate phagocyte function in the host.
Highlights
Bacterial and fungal infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in severely neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies receiving dose-intensive chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
This study indicated that most changes in neutrophil phenotype, potentially affecting the function of mobilized granulocytes, occur after one dose of granulocyte colonystimulating factor (G-CSF)
The results suggested that daily prophylactic transfusions of compatible granulocytes could reduce the risk of bacterial or fungal infection, death or death from infection in patients with severe neutropenia
Summary
Bacterial and fungal infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in severely neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies receiving dose-intensive chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The improved odds of survival shown by clinical trials conducted in the 1970s and 1980s may have been related to low survival rates of controls, implying that the benefit of adding granulocyte transfusions to contemporary treatment protocols for life-threatening infections may. The results of new randomized trials of granulocyte transfusions for life-threatening infections have been published. The following PubMed query was used to retrieve relevant clinical trials: (infection OR sepsis) AND (neutropenia OR granulocytopenia) AND (“granulocyte transfusion” OR “granulocyte transfusions”). We searched both the U.S National Institutes of Health registry of clinical studies (http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov) and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform We searched both the U.S National Institutes of Health registry of clinical studies (http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov) and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP; http://apps. who.int/trialsearch/)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
