Effects of primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis for chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients receiving the R-CHOP-21 regimen
Article Category: Original article
Published Online: Aug 31, 2025
Page range: 165 - 173
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2025-0021
Keywords
© 2025 Pannathorn Nakaphan et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Background
Primary prophylaxis with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients undergoing rituximab-cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine-prednisolone every 21 d (R-CHOP-21) chemotherapy varies based on physician discretion.
Objectives
The present study aims to investigate the impact of primary G-CSF prophylaxis on febrile neutropenia (FN) and other outcomes in DLBCL patients receiving R-CHOP-21 in real-world practice.
Methods
Medical records of 103 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients, aged 18–80 years, were retrospectively analyzed. Seventy-four patients received primary G-CSF prophylaxis (prophylaxis group), while 29 patients did not receive prophylaxis (non-prophylaxis group). The occurrence of FN and other outcomes was compared between the two groups.
Results
The prophylaxis group had older patients (median ± interquartile ranges [IQR], 63 ± 12 years vs. 50 ± 15 years,
Conclusions
Primary G-CSF prophylaxis may reduce the risk of FN in DLBCL patients undergoing R-CHOP-21 treatment. The present study highlights the importance of primary G-CSF prophylaxis, especially for those at high risk of FN.