Neutropenia is a haematologic disorder commonly reported in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with pegylated interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN α-2a).
Common adverse events with bevacizumab and octreotide included hypertension (32%), proteinuria (9%), and fatigue (7%); with IFN and octreotide, they included fatigue (27%), neutropenia (12%), and nausea (6%).
Logistic regression analysis showed that rs2305482 CC and neutrophil count at baseline were independent predictive factors for IFN-induced neutropenia (OR = 2.497, P = 0.0072 and OR = 0.998, P < 0.0001, respectively).
Administration of G-CSF 2 days before Peg-IFNalpha is safe, maintains sustained neutrophil count, improves adherence to treatment and seems to increase the virologic response in patients infected with HCV genotype 1 who develop Peg-IFN-alpha2b related severe neutropenia.