Treatment of aplastic anemia in children with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Twenty children (aged 1 to 17 years) with severe or moderate aplastic anemia were treated with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) at a dose of 400 micrograms/m2 per day administered as a 30-minute intravenous (IV) infusion daily for 2 weeks. This treatment increased the neutrophil counts (2.7- to 28.0-fold) in 12 of the 20 patients. Increasing doses (800 or 1,200 micrograms/m2 per day) were administered to five patients who had not responded to the initial dose, and three showed an increase in neutrophil count. Differential counts of bone marrow (BM) aspirates showed an increase in the myeloid/erythroid ratio. The response was transient, however, and the neutrophil count returned to baseline within 2 to 10 days of discontinuing treatment. No severe toxicity attributable to rhG-CSF was observed. The results suggest that this agent is effective in stimulating granulopoiesis in children with aplastic anemia. Our study also indicates that rhG-CSF will be particularly useful in managing patients with aplastic anemia complicated by bacterial or fungal infection.