THE EFFECT OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN GRANULOCYTE MACROPHAGE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR [RHU GM-CSF) AND RHU G-CSF ADMINISTRATION ON NEUTROPHIL CHEMILUMINESCENCE ASSAY IN PATIENTS FOLLOWING CYCLIC CHEMOTHERAPY/

Secondary infections related to neutropenia and functional defects of phagocytes are common consequences in patients treated for cancer. The hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSF) have been introduced i nto clinical practice as additional supportive measures that can reduc e the incidence of infectious complications in patients with cancer an d neutropenia. The aim of this study was to determine the role of gran uolcyte/macrophage(GM)-CSF and granulocyte(G)-CSF in enhancing in vivo human neutrophil function. A luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assa y was developed to evaluate whether the repair in neutropenia accompan ies the ability of neutrophils to function. A dose of 5 mu g G-CSF kg( -1) day(-1) [recombinant human (rHu) G-CSF; filgrastim] or 250 mu g GM -CSF m(-2) day(-1) (rHu GM-CSF; molgramostim) was administered subcuta neously once daily to 12 metastatic cancer patients being treated with different cytotoxic regimens. All injections of CSF were given after the initiation of neutropenia and continued until the occurrence of an absolute neutrophil recovery, rHu GMCSF and rHu G-CSF, administered o nce daily at the 250 mu g m(-2) day(-1) and 5 mu g kg(-1) day(-1) leve l, were effective in increasing the absolute neutrophil count and neut rophil function, as measured by an automated chemiluminescence system.