A trial looking at using a growth factor after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma or non Hodgkin lymphoma

Cancer type:

Blood cancers

Hodgkin lymphoma

Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Status:

Results

Phase:

Phase 3

This trial compared low dose lenograstim with standard dose lenograstrim after high dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. It recruited people with lymphoma (including Hodgkin lymphoma and non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)).

The number of blood cells you have drops after high dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant helps them to recover. Doctors routinely give a growth factor called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) to help blood counts recover more quickly.

Growth factors encourage the body to make blood cells. Different types of growth factors encourage the different types of blood cells to grow. The growth factor used in this trial was called lenograstim. Lenograstim helps the growth of white blood cells.

The aim of the trial was to find out

If low dose lenograstim works as well as the standard dose at helping white blood counts to recover
More about the side effects

Summary of results

The researchers found that low dose lenograstim works as well as the standard dose at helping white blood cell counts to recover after chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.

61 people took part in this trial.

One third had low dose lenograstim
One third had standard dose lenograstim
One third had a placebo (dummy drug)

Everybody had either lenograstim or placebo injections starting 5 days after their stem cell transplant until their white blood cells recovered.

The researchers analysed the results in 2006. They looked at how long it took the white blood cells to go back to a normal level after treatment. They found no difference between the 2 groups who had lenograstim. On average the white blood counts took about 11 days to recover in the people who had lenograstrim. This compared with about 14 days in the people who had placebo.

The people who had lenograstrim didn’t report any side effects as a result of having growth factors.

We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed Open a glossary item ) and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.