Splenic rupture, secondary to G-CSF use for chemotherapy induced neutropenia: a case report and review of literature

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Chemotherapy Induced neutropenia is a frequent and serious complication of cytotoxic cancer treatment.Granulocyte colony stimulating factors (G-CSF) are frequently used to counter neutropenia, attempt rapid recovery of patients and allow for continuation of treatment without compromise on dose, especially in curative malignancies. Generally regarded as safe, G-CSF use has been very rarely reported to have resulted in serious side effects, such as, splenic rupture. CASE PRESENTATION: We are reporting a case of a twenty years old man, who was being treated for T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and received colony stimulating factors for treatment of severe neutropenia and suffered from splenic rupture, He was treated with splenectomy. CONCLUSION: Although extremely rare, splenic rupture can be a serious and sometimes life threatening complication of high dose colony stimulating factors therapy.