Students:
Raja' Khlaif
Samah Abdulghani
Isra' Maslamani
Supervisor:
Rowa’ Al-Ramahi
Abstract:
Background:Neutropenia is a dangerous complication of chemotherapy which can lead to increased risk of life-threatening infections. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factors which stimulate granulocytes and stem cells production from the bone marrow and release them into the bloodstream can be useful in prevention or treatment of this problem.
Objectives:The aims of this study were to find the prevalence of Chemotherapy- induced neutropenia (CIN) in patients with solid cancers and to determine its management criteria.
Methods:This was a retrospective study that was conducted in a major outpatient clinic for oncology patients in Palestine; Al-Watani Governmental Hospital / Nablus. We reviewed Patient’s medical records and filled out the data collection form. The results were analyzed using Statistical Package for social sciences (SPSS) program.
Results:The study included 400 patients. The average age (± SD) of the patients was 53.90 ±12.832 years; the minimum and the maximum age were 20 and 94 years respectively. The majority 272 (68.0%) were females. The most prevalent type was breast cancer in 191 (47.8%) patients followed by colon cancer in 81 (20.3%) patients, and 31.9% for other types. Fifty- five out of four-hundred patients were neutropenic (13.8%). Chemotherapy cycle delay was implicated in 14.5% neutropenic patients; and G-CSF (filgrastim) was given for forty-seven patients as treatment and for thirteen patients as prophylaxis. Complete Blood Count (CBC) readings showed full recovery in neutrophil counts 68% of treatment group and 77% of prophylaxis group.
Conclusion:Since neutropenia is a serious concern related to chemotherapy, it's important to mange it in order to avoid susceptible life-threatening infections. Using G-CSF (e.g. Filgrastim ) as treatment or prophylaxis reduces the incidence of CIN and the risk of infections by enhancing recovery.
