[Effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on peripheral blood leukocytes and lymphocytes in patients...

In patients with extensive chemotherapy, G-CSF abrogated leukopenia following administration of cytotoxic agents. Six women with ovarian cancer and chemotherapy-induced leukopenia received 300 micrograms Filgrastrim (r-metHuG-CSF, Neupogen 30; AMGEN, Germany) daily for 10 days. Leukocytes and lymphocyte subsets of peripheral blood were determined before, throughout and after subcutaneous injections of G-CSF by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies to CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD16/56, CD19 and CD45. It could be observed that not only neutrophils (23 fold) but also lymphocytes (6 fold) and monocytes (10 fold) showed a dramatic increase in cell counts throughout and after G-CSF administration. This is in contrast to previous reports, where only effects on neutrophils were described. In spite of the increase in lymphocytes the relative percentage of CD3+, CD19+, CD3-CD16/CD56+, CD3+, CD8+ and CD3+ CD4+ lymphocyte subsets did not change throughout and after therapy, except for an increased expression of HLA-DR on CD3+ lymphocytes.