Cancer Treatment Information for Starting Chemotherapy

When you start chemotherapy, start strong Help support your natural defenses with Neulasta®

Chemotherapy (also known as chemo) works by killing fast-growing cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemo can’t tell the difference between cancer cells and fast-growing healthy cells, including red and white blood cells. As a result, one of the most serious potential side effects of some types of chemotherapy is a low white blood cell count.1,4,5 Chemo that causes this side effect is described as myelosuppressive (my-eh-low-suh-PRESS-iv), because it suppresses your production of white blood cells. A low white blood cell count—also known as neutropenia (new-tro-pee-nee-uh)—can place some patients at risk for severe infections and interruptions in cancer treatment.1-3 In fact, complications associated with a low white blood cell count are the most common causes of dose reductions or delays in chemotherapy. 6-8 Neulasta® is a white blood cell booster to help support your natural defenses and help reduce the risk of infection in patients with some tumors receiving strong chemotherapy.

Learn more about the relationship between on-schedule chemotherapy and low white blood cell counts.

What is Neulasta®?

Neulasta® is a prescription medication called a white cell booster that helps your body produce more white blood cells to reduce your risk of infection. A sufficient white blood cell count may enable your doctors to administer chemotherapy according to their treatment schedule.

With the help of a white cell booster, you can maintain a sufficient white blood cell count. Most doctors agree that sticking to the planned chemotherapy schedule may be the first step to success.3,8,10-14 Studies have proven the effectiveness of Neulasta® in helping to protect chemotherapy patients against the complications of a low white blood cell count.15-17

  • An improvement in your white blood cell counts will show that Neulasta® is doing its job.
  • Neulasta® helps provide protection against these complications with just 1 injection per cycle of chemotherapy. It is given 24 hours after chemotherapy is administered. Neulasta® is for people with some tumors - solid tumors and lymphomas, for example.15

Be sure to ask your doctor about white cell boosters and if Neulasta® is right for you—given one day after the start of your chemo.

Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim) is prescribed to reduce the risk of infection (initially marked by fever) in patients with some tumors receiving strong chemotherapy that decreases the number of infection-fighting white blood cells.

Important safety information
Ruptured spleen (including fatal cases) and a serious lung problem called acute respiratory distress syndrome have been reported. Call your doctor or seek emergency care right away if you have abdominal or shoulder tip pain, shortness of breath, trouble breathing, or a fast rate of breathing. In rare cases, serious allergic reactions can occur, causing shortness of breath, wheezing, dizziness, swelling around the mouth or eyes, fast pulse, sweating, and hives. Sometimes these symptoms could come back within days after stopping treatment for the allergic reaction. If you start to have any of these symptoms, call your doctor or seek emergency care right away. Sickle cell crises have also been reported.

In a clinical study, mild to moderate bone pain occurred in 31% of the patients taking Neulasta® and in 26% of the patients taking a placebo injection. In most cases, bone pain was controlled with a non-narcotic pain reliever, such as acetaminophen. Other common side effects reported by patients in the study taking either Neulasta® or placebo were consistent with the underlying cancer diagnosis and its treatment with chemotherapy, with the exception of bone pain.

If you have any questions about this information, be sure to discuss them with your doctor. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Next: Helping to Protect Against infection >>