Effect of continuous subcutaneous administration of a small dose of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) by the use of a portable infusion pump in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma receiving chemotherapy.

The effects of continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSI) of human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and serum G-CSF level were examined in 11 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) during cytotoxic chemotherapy. Recombinant G-CSF (rG-CSF) was subcutaneously infused using a portable infusion pump at a constant flow rate of 1 microgram/20 microliters/h for 14 days starting 2 days after the end of the second course of chemotherapy. The ANC was lowered after the chemotherapy without rG-CSF infusion whereas the duration of neutropenia and the nadir level of the ANC after the chemotherapy were ameliorated by the combined administration of rG-CSF (mean +/- S.E., 0.6 +/- 0.5 days vs. 4.7 +/- 1.9 days, P < 0.05; 455 +/- 135/microliter vs. 1906 +/- 598/microliter, P < 0.05). Serum G-CSF levels increased after the start of rG-CSF infusion, reaching a mean peak value of 418.5 +/- 128.5 pg/ml at the 8th day, and then returned to the basal level (35.6 +/- 13.5 pg/ml) immediately after the end of continuous infusion of rG-CSF. Although a slight increase in serum G-CSF was obtained in the patients after the chemotherapy without rG-CSF administration, the mean serum level was much lower than that in the patients after the chemotherapy with rG-CSF administration (88.2 +/- 24.8 pg/ml vs. 199.6 +/- 20.6 pg/ml, P < 0.01). No notable side effects of the CSI of rG-CSF were noted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)