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. 2021 May 27;21:621. doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08258-w

Table 3.

Incidence of grade 1–4 neutropenia

Study Neutropenia
Balducci [19] Neutropenia Combined CHOP and R-CHOP Q2W Combined CHOP and R-CHOP Q3W
<  65 years 65–75 years >  75 years Overall <  65 years 65–75 years >  75 years Overall
Any grade, n (%) 0 (0) 1 (3.3) 1 (1.6) 0 (0) 5 (6.4) 1 (3.1) 6 (4.4)
Grade ≥ 3, n (%) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (2.6) 1 (3.1) 3 (2.2)
Donkor [21] Pegfilgrastim < 14 days group (n = 126) Pegfilgrastim > 14 days group (n = 25) Filgrastim group (n = 90) No CSF group (n = 295)
Incidence of neutropenia, n (%) 0 (0) 1 (4) 24 (26.7) 25 (8.5)
Dragnev [22] Filgrastim (n = 25) Pegfilgrastim (n = 10) p value
WBC/ANC (any grade toxicity) 2 0 p = 1.0
Hecht [23] Placebo (n = 118) Pegfilgrastim (n = 123) OR (95% CI) p value
All combined, % (95% CI) 43 (34.3–52.1) 13 (7.2–18.9) 0.19 (0.10–0.37) p < 0.001
FOLFOX-4, % (95% CI) n = 58 n = 61 0.11 (0.04–0.36) p < 0.001
37.9 (25.5–51.6) 6.6 (1.8–15.9)
FOLFIRI, % (95% CI)

n = 30

50.0 (31.3–68.7)

n = 32

15.6 (5.3–32.8)

0.19 (0.06–0.61) p = 0.0061
FOIL, % (95% CI)

n = 30

46.7 (28.3–65.7)

n = 30

23.3 (9.9–42.3)

0.35 (0.11–1.05) p < 0.1033
Kourlaba [25] Severe neutropenia, % (95% CI) Filgrastim Pegfilgrastim p value
32.3 (28.4–36.5) 10.4 (7.9–13.3) p < 0.001
Kurbacher [26] Grade 3/4 neutropenia, % Pegfilgrastim (n = 27) Lipegfilgrastim (n = 26)
5.6 3.5
Lane [27] Duration of grade 4 neutropenia Pegfilgrastim G-CSF p value
All cycles, days (95% CI) 4 (0–11) 4 (0–10) 0.55
A cycles, days (95% CI) 2 (0–7) 2 (0–6) 0.65
B cycles, days (95% CI) 6 (2–12) 6 (0–10) 0.70
Pinter [30] Neutropenia grade Pegfilgrastim, n (%) Placebo, n (%) Difference OR (95% CI) p value
Grade 3/4 15 (3.6) 72 (17) −13.5% (−18.3, −8.7) 0.18 (0.1–0.32) < 0.001
Grade 4 10 (2.4) 35 (8.3) −5.9% (−9.6, −2.2) 0.27 (0.13–0.56) < 0.001
Grade 3/4 in FOLFOX-treated patients 4 (1.9) 37 (17.9) n/a 0.09 (0.03–0.26) n/a
Grade 3/4 in FOLFIRI-treated patients 11 (5.1) 35 (16.2) n/a 0.28 (0.14–0.57) n/a
Grade 3/4 in low-dose patients 4 (2.5) 28 (16.1) n/a 0.13 (0.05–0.39) n/a
Grade 3/4 in high-dose patients 11 (4.2) 44 (17.7) n/a 0.20 (0.10–0.41) n/a
Skarlos [31] Filgrastim Pegfilgrastim p value
Severe neutropenia, n (%) 34 (32) 41 (38) p = 0.36

ANC absolute neutrophil count, CHOP cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone, CI confidence interval, CSF colony-stimulating factor, FOIL 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan, FOLFIRI 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan, FOLFOX 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, G-CSF granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, n/a not applicable, OR odds ratio, Q2W biweekly, Q3W every 3 weeks, R-CHOP rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone, WBC white blood cell