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Evidence summaries

Colony Stimulating Factors for Chemotherapy Induced Febrile Neutropenia

Colony stimulating factors are effective in shortening the length of hospitalization and in accelerating neutrophil recovery, however, they may not decrease mortality. Level of evidence: "A"

A Cochrane review (abstract , review [Abstract]) included 14 studies with a total of 1553 patients. Overall mortality was not improved by the use of CSF plus antibiotics versus antibiotics alone (hazard ratio 0.74 (95% Cl 0.47 to 1.16). A marginally significant result was obtained for the use of CSF in reducing infection related mortality (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.20). The group of patients treated with CSF had a shorter length of hospitalization (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.95) and a shorter time to neutrophil recovery (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.81).

Primary/Secondary Keywords