Pegfilgrastim in Children With Severe Congenital Neutropenia

Two pediatric patients affected by severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) were treated with 100 mcg/L/dose every 9-12 clays within a Pilot Study (Observatory of the Italian Ministry of Health, Eudract Code 2005-003096-20) on the use of pegfilgrastim in patients with chronic neutropenia. Both children increased their absolute neutrophil Count, reduced their infectious load, and improved their quality of life. Serum concentrations of G-CSF observed in pegfilgrastim mirrored those seen in filgrastim. These data Suggest that pegfilgrastim may be beneficial in SCN patients with an exposure of hematopoietic cells to G-CSF similar to that on filgrastim. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;54:465-467. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.