Multicenter real-world study of effectiveness and safety of pegylated filgrastim for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia

Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common side effect of chemotherapy. An observational study at outpatient clinics across Germany investigated effectiveness and safety of pegylated filgrastim (pegfilgrastim) for the prevention of FN in patients receiving chemotherapy for malignant diseases. The study included 1636 patients (predominantly women with breast cancer) receiving pegfilgrastim (68% at moderate risk and 38% at high risk of FN). In total, 2.5% of patients experienced FN despite treatment with pegfilgrastim, with 52.5% requiring hospitalization; in 40% subsequent chemotherapy had to be postponed or reduced in dose. FN incidence and hospitalization rates were slightly lower when pegfilgrastim was given for primary versus secondary prophylaxis. FN incidence was much higher in patients with hematological as compared to solid tumors, particularly when treated with BEACOPP regimens. Overall, 13.4% of patients experienced infections. The most common side effect of pegfilgrastim was bone-related pain. The authors conclude that pegfilgrastim treatment appeared to be effective and safe in all-day practice.