Factors Affecting Delayed Recovery from Neutropenia in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Receiving Gemcitabine plus Nab-Paclitaxel.

Many studies have identified risk factors for neutropenia associated with various chemotherapies, including gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP). However, few studies have focused on the delayed recovery from neutropenia, which frequently leads to treatment discontinuation. We aimed to examine whether the risk factors for neutropenia affect delayed recovery following development. Data were collected from patients with pancreatic cancer who received GnP therapy between December 2014 and March 2019 at the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. In the present study, we investigated the following: (1) risk factors for grade 3 or higher neutropenia and (2) factors affecting delayed recovery in patients who developed neutropenia in (1). Of the 638 patients who underwent GnP therapy, 364 developed neutropenia and 29 experienced delayed recovery. Most patients with delayed recovery experienced neutropenia on day 8 of the first course; therefore, we focused on this group. Among the 111 patients who developed neutropenia on day 8 of the first course, 22 experienced delayed recovery after excluding those who received granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Low baseline neutrophil, platelet, and red blood cell counts were identified as risk factors for neutropenia. Although multivariate analysis could not be conducted due to the limited number of patients, these three factors were also associated with delayed recovery. Low neutrophil, platelet, and red blood cell counts at baseline were identified as risk factors for neutropenia and affecting delayed recovery.