Granulocyte transfusions in children and adults with hematological malignancies: benefits and controversies

Bacterial and fungal infections continue to pose a major clinical challenge in patients with prolonged severe neutropenia after chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). With the advent of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize neutrophils in healthy donors,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of translational medicine 2015-11, Vol.13 (363), p.362-362, Article 362
Main Authors: Cugno, Chiara, Deola, Sara, Filippini, Perla, Stroncek, David F, Rutella, Sergio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Analysis
Blood Component Transfusion
Child
Children
Cytokines - therapeutic use
Dexamethasone
Granulocytes
Granulocytes - cytology
Health aspects
Hematologic Neoplasms - therapy
Hematopoietic stem cells
Humans
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Review
Transplantation
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Summary:Bacterial and fungal infections continue to pose a major clinical challenge in patients with prolonged severe neutropenia after chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). With the advent of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize neutrophils in healthy donors, granulocyte transfusions have been broadly used to prevent and/or treat life-threatening infections in patients with severe febrile neutropenia and/or neutrophil dysfunction. Although the results of randomized controlled trials are inconclusive, there are suggestions from pilot and retrospective studies that granulocyte transfusions may benefit selected categories of patients. We will critically appraise the evidence related to the use of therapeutic granulocyte transfusions in children and adults, highlighting current controversies in the field and discussing complementary approaches to modulate phagocyte function in the host.
ISSN:1479-5876
1479-5876
DOI:10.1186/s12967-015-0724-5