Adverse events associated with chemotherapy for common cancers

Neutropenia is a common and often dose-limiting toxicity associated with chemotherapy. One way to decrease the severity of this adverse event is to use colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) after chemotherapy. Colony-stimulating factors are relatively expensive agents, and most institutions limit their use. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict which patients are likely to develop neutropenia. An improved ability to predict this situation might help institutions and clinicians determine which patients need CSFs as adjunctive therapy. The efficacy of CSFs and how they may affect patient outcomes are discussed. In addition, a primary literature review on the toxicity associated with chemotherapy regimens used for common cancers is summarized. Knowing the toxicity of individual regimens may help clinicians identify patients needing adjunctive therapy or less toxic regimens. Any action that helps reduce the occurrence, or severity, of neutropenia in patients receiving chemotherapy would be beneficial and enhance the patient's quality of life.