Early versus delayed administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor following chemotherapy in pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of initiating granulocyte-colony stimulating factor following chemotherapy in pediatric patients has not been clearly defined. This study aimed to compare the administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on day 1 versus day 3 postchemotherapy in pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma. METHOD: A retrospective study of pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma who received granulocyte-colony stimulating factor following chemotherapy between January 2016 and September 2018 at a comprehensive cancer center. The institution's chemotherapy protocol for Ewing sarcoma was modified in April 2017 to include granulocyte-colony stimulating factor initiation on day 3 instead of day 1 post-chemotherapy. Febrile neutropenia requiring hospitalization, duration of hospital stay, and chemotherapy delay were compared for patients before and after the protocol change. RESULTS: Over the study period, 250 cycles were evaluated with day 1 granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and 221 cycles with day 3 granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. There were no differences between the day 1 and day 3 groups in the number of cycles associated with Febrile neutropenia requiring hospitalization (34 vs. 19, p = 0.086), and the length of Febrile neutropenia-related hospitalization (mean 4 ± 2.1 vs. 4.6 ± 1.8, p = 0.123). However, delay in chemotherapy due to neutropenia was reported in significantly more cycles in the day 1 group, compared to the day 3 group (37 vs. 16, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Febrile neutropenia resulting in hospital admission and the length of hospital stay was not different between pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma who received granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on day 1 or day 3 post-chemotherapy. Chemotherapy delay due to neutropenia was higher in patients who received granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on day 1. Larger studies are required to fully determine the impact of delayed initiation of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor.

Different Timing to Use Bevacizumab in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma: Early Versus Delayed Administration.

BACKGROUND/AIM: In patients with recurrent glioblastoma, the best timing to administer bevacizumab is not well addressed yet. In this study, we reported the results of a monocentric experience comparing the early use of bevacizumab (following the first GBM recurrence) with the delayed administration (following the second or even further GBM recurrences). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analysis included 129 glioblastoma patients with a median follow-up of 22.4 months (range=5.26-192 months). RESULTS: The median time lapse from diagnosis of glioblastoma to disease recurrence was 11.6 months; 13.1 for patients treated with deferred administration of bevacizumab and 9.9 for patients with early administration (p=0.047). Bevacizumab progression-free survival with early and delayed use was 3.45 and 2.92 months, respectively (p=0.504). Survival time from the start of bevacizumab was 6.18 months in patients with early administration, and 6.47 in the delayed administration one (p=0.318). CONCLUSION: Delayed administration of bevacizumab can be considered in selected patients with less aggressive recurrent glioblastoma.

Delayed administration IL-1ß neutralizing antibody improves cognitive function after transient global ischemia in rats.

In order to study the protective effects on motor and cognitive function by inhibiting IL-1ß as delayed as 24h after global ischemia, we designed behavioral testing protocol and histology detection after 10 min transient global ischemia followed by IL-1ß or its antibody intracerebroventricular injection. We found benefit of IL-1ß antibody treatment 24h after ischemia in cognitive function recovery. But no obvious amelioration in motor function was found. Further we detected cell morphology and survival by histology staining and proved IL-1ß antibody could reduce ischemia induced cell morphological changes and cell loss in hippocampus, which related with cognitive function. Present results indicate intervening IL-1ß pathway could be helpful in cognitive function recovery even as late as 24h after ischemia happens.