Pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for primary prophylaxis of neutropenia in patients with cervical cancer receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a prospective study

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BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (PEG-rhG-CSF) for primary prophylaxis of neutropenia in patients with cervical cancer receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.MethodsIn this prospective, single-center, single-arm study, we enrolled patients (18–70 years) with 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC1r-IVA and IVB (distant metastasis only with inguinal lymph node metastasis) cervical cancer. Eligible patients should have normal function of the bone marrow (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 2.0 × 109/L) and adequate hepatic and renal functions. Key exclusion criteria included: previous chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy; a history of bone marrow dysplasia or other hematopoietic abnormalities. All patients underwent radical radiotherapy (pelvic radiotherapy or extended-field irradiation) plus brachytherapy. The chemotherapy regimen included four cycles of 3-weekly paclitaxel and cisplatin. PEG-rhG-CSF was administered 48–72 h after each treatment cycle. Salvage granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was only permitted in certain circumstances. The primary endpoint was the incidence of grade 3–4 neutropenia. The secondary endpoints included frequency of febrile neutropenia (FN), chemotherapy completion rate in cycles 2–4, time to complete radiotherapy, and safety.ResultsOverall, 52 patients were enrolled in this study from July 2019 to October 2020. The incidence of grade 3–4 neutropenia was 28.8%, with an average duration of grade 3–4 neutropenia persistence of 3.85 days (1–7 days). The incidence rate of FN was 3.8%. The chemotherapy completion rate was 94.2%, 82.7%, and 75.0% for cycles 2–4, respectively. The incidences of grade 3–4 neutropenia for cycles 1–4 were 9.6% (5/52), 8.2% (4/49), 14.0% (6/43), and 2.6% (1/39), respectively. All patients completed radiotherapy within 8 weeks (median, 48 days; range: 41–56 days), except one patient who withdrew consent and did not receive radiotherapy. Severe non-hematologic toxicity was not observed in any patient.ConclusionPEG-rhG-CSF is an effective and safe prophylactic treatment for neutropenia in patients with cervical cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900024494. Date of Registration:13/July/2019.