High-dose cyclophosphamide in patients with operable breast cancer: recombinant human GM-CSF ameliorates drug-induced leukopenia and thrombocytopenia

Abstract

Seventeen patients with breast cancer (nine patients with 10 ipsilateral metastatic axillary nodes, eight patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma) previously untreated with cytotoxic chemotherapy received high-dose cyclophosphamide, 7 g/sqm (HD-CTX) as initial step of a high-dose sequential chemotherapy program. Eleven patients received also intravenous recombinant human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), 5.5 micrograms/kg per day for 7-14 days after HD-CTX. This growth factor significantly ameliorated leukopenia and thrombocytopenia induced by HD-CTX therapy thus allowing earlier delivery of subsequent courses of chemotherapy.