Mechanisms of activation of hematopoietic recovery due to filgastrim in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with doxorubicin/docetaxel

The effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim) on hematopoietic recovery was studied. The study included 77 patients with stage III-IV breast cancer who received chemotherapy with oxorubicin/docetaxel. Filgastrim was administered to 30 patients in the intervals between chemotherapy courses. The drug was injected subcutaneously at a dose of 300 mg, twice, on days 8 and 12 days from the last administration of docetaxel. Blood parameters were assessed within 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Filgastrin was shown to stimulate bone marrow granulocytopoiesis depressed by cytostatic drugs. The effect was realized on the level of committed precursors, morphologically differentiated bone marrow and peripheral blood cell elements, being the result of stimulation of the proliferative activity of hematopoietic progenitor cells of granulocytopoiesis under the influence of humoral factors released by cells of the microenvironment, as well as, to a large extent, the acceleration of the maturation of these cells.