A Comparative Study Of Single-Dose Pegfilgrastim Versus Daily Filgrastim In Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

e18005 Background: Prophylactic treatment with recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhGCSF) is used to decrease the severity and duration of neutropenia in patients receiving myelosupressive chemotherapy. It can be used during induction and consolidation chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Mechanism of action of pegylated GCSF is the same as filgrastim except for delayed clearance. Few studies addressed the use of pegylated filgrasim in AML. Methods: After 24 hours of consolidation chemotherapy, 8 patients in the study arm received single dose of subcutaneous 6 mg pegfilgrastim. The control group received daily filgrastim at a dose of 5 microgram per kg.until absolute neutroophil count of 2 ×109 cells/μL for 2 consecutive days. The neutrophil recovery time, febrile neutropenia and its duration, duration of hospitalization and safety profiles were compared. Results: There were 20 episodes of pegfilgrastim administration. The median age was 41 years in pegfilgrastim arm and 39 years in filgrastim arm. Medium time to neutrophil recovery was 14 days for pegfilgrastim arm and 17 days for filgrastim arm. In the pegfilgrastim arm 12 (60%) episodes of febrile neutropenia occurred compared to 11 (55%) in filgrastim arm. The median duration of febrile neutropenia was 3 days in pegfilgrastim arm versus 4 days in filgrastim arm. The median duration of hospitalization was 15 days in pegfilgrastim arm and 18 days in filgrastim arm. Safety profile and complete remission status did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions: The present study showed favorable profile of pegfilgrastim for netrophil recovery, duration of neutropenia and hospital stay. There was no difference with regard to safety or response to treatment. No significant financial relationships to disclose.