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.