Symposium on infectious complications of neoplastic disease (Part II). Granulocyte transfusions.

Laboratory and clinical studies have demonstrated beyond question that granulocyte transfusions can have a beneficial effect on the incidence and course of bacterial infection. The increment of improved survival produced by granulocyte transfusions depends on the effectiveness of the alternative (primarily antibiotic) therapy alone, and this varies with the pattern of bacterial predominance and sensitivity, which is notoriously changeable. The absolute effectiveness of granulocyte transfusion therapy is influenced by the quality of the transfusions and the immune status of both the recipient and the granulocyte donor. The indiscriminate transfusion of inadequate quantities of granulocytes from random donors into sensitized recipients should be discouraged. Severely neutropenic patients with established infection unresponsive to antibiotic therapy are appropriate recipients of granulocyte transfusions. Well-designed programs of prophylactic granulocyte transfusions can reduce the occurrence of bacterial infection in neutropenic patients, but there are few clinical situations in which their use is justified. The use of cytomegalovirus-seropositive granulocyte donors for cytomegalovirus-seronegative recipients should be avoided. There is a need for technical advances that will increase the ease and efficiency of granulocyte procurement.