Background Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a highly malignant tumor that can be effectively treated with chemotherapy alone. Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) is used to reverse the adverse effects of chemotherapy, but its half-life is short, requiring daily injections and significantly reducing patient tolerance rates. Pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (PEG-rhG-CSF) can be administered for a longer duration, improving patient tolerance and compliance. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of PEG-rhG-CSF for preventing hematological toxicity after chemotherapy for GTN. Methods We retrospectively assessed 200 GTN patients treated with chemotherapy from January 2019 to December 2021. One hundred patients received 6 mg of PEG-rhG-CSF within 24 h after chemotherapy and composed the experimental group. One hundred additional patients who were treated with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were matched 1:1 via the propensity score matching method and served as the control group. The main observations were differences in hematological toxicity, neutrophil changes, febrile neutropenia incidence and adverse reactions. Results The incidences of grade 3/4 neutropenia, grade 4 neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, antibiotic use, chemotherapy delay and bone pain in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P 0.05). The duration of grade 3/4 neutropenia in the experimental group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (3.6 days vs. 6.5 days, P 0.05). The incidence rates of adverse events in the experimental group and control group were 51% and 77%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.006). Conclusion PEG-rhG-CSF has good efficacy and safety in preventing hematological toxicity in GTN patients after chemotherapy.
Zhao et al. (Mon,) studied this question.