Pegteograstim prophylaxis for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia: a prospective, observational, postmarketing surveillance study in Korea

Purpose This observational study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pegteograstim prophylaxis in patients with lymphoma and solid malignancies. Methods This study was conducted at 18 sites in Korea between November 2015 and August 2018. Results In total, 611 patients (female, 61.2%) with a median age of 58 (range, 18–88) years were included. Most patients had lymphomas ( n = 371, 60.7%) and breast cancer ( n = 230, 37.6%) and were administered R-CHOP21 (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone per 21 days) ( n = 284, 46.5%) and AC (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide) ( n = 177, 29.0%). The total pegteograstim dose in the 611 patients was 14,970 mg (2495 doses), with each patient receiving an average daily dose of 6.0 mg. Neutropenia grade 4 occurred in 97 patients (15.9%), and febrile neutropenia (FN) occurred in 31 patients (5.1%). Among the 611 patients, 267 patients (43.7%) developed 882 adverse events (AEs), and 11 patients (1.8%) experienced 18 adverse drug reactions (ADRs). There were 62 patients (10.2%) who experienced 81 cases of serious adverse events (SAEs), with FN and pneumonia being the most frequent at 14 and 13 episodes, respectively, in 13 patients (2.1%). Meanwhile, 1 patient (0.2%) developed 2 episodes of serious ADRs (grade 1 and grade 2 hypotension). No safety concerns in the elderly and patients with liver and/or renal disease were identified. Conclusion The prophylactic use of pegteograstim might have good overall safety and efficacy in patients with lymphomas and solid malignancies in routine clinical practice, even in those who are elderly and have liver and renal diseases.