Background : Colony stimulating factors have been shown to accelerate recovery from severe neutropenia after intensive chemotherapy. To prove its clinical effectiveness, we conducted this study of administration of G-CSF in acute myelogenous leukemia after remission induction chemotherapy.
Methods :
Thirty six patients with acute myelogenous leukemia were assigned to one of two groups (21 to G-CSF treated group, 15 to control group) after remission induction chemotherapy administration. Treatment with G-CSF (lenograstim, 200 ㎍/㎡/d) was started 5 days after the end of chemotherapy and continued until the neutrophil count rose above 1,500/㎣.
Results : Treatment with G-CSF shortened neutropenic period after chemotherapy. The median time to recovery to neutrophil counts more than 500/㎣ from the end of chemotherapy was 19 days in G-CSF treated group and 25 days in control group. The incidence of infection was 19 cases in G-CSF treated group and 13 cases in control group and febrile periods were 12 days in G-CSF treated group and 15 days in control group, but there were no statistically significant differences. The duration of antibiotics treatment in G-CSF treated group was shorter than that of
control group. There was no evidence that G-CSF could increase remission duration and overall survival.
Conclusion : Recombinant G-CSF is safe and useful in patients after intensive chemotherapy, accelerating neutrophil recovery and thereby reducing the duration of antibiotics administration.

Keywords: G-CSF, Neutropenia, Acute myelogenous leukemia,