Granulocyte- colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) use in clinical practice in patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer: The Opaline Study

Objectives > To describe the French routine use of G-CSF in patients treated for breast cancer as per the EORTC recommendations. Patients and methods > A prospective multicenter observational study conducted between February 2008 and September 2009 in 869 breast cancer patients treated by chemotherapy (CT) and for whom G-CSF treatment will be delivered in primary (PP) or secondary prophylaxis. Results > The mean age was 55 years. A total of 80.3% of CT was in neoadjuvant/adjuvant setting (NAS). PP was delivered in 78.9% of the NAS patients and 67.5% in metastatic situation. Of the 702 evaluable patients, incidences of severe (SN) and febrile neutropenias (FN) in patients who received PP were 9.3% and 4.2%, respectively In patients who did not received G-CSF at first cycle, SN and FN. were 12.4% and 7.3%, respectively The use of PP was mainly driven by the type of CT for patients treated in the NAS and by patient or disease related risk factors in the locally advanced/metastatic setting. Conclusion > This study has shown that the use of G-CSF was in accordance with the 2010 updates of the EORTC recommendations. However, G-CSF appears more widely used in the routine practice.