lenograstim at a glance
Medicine class
Recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF).
Main roles
Supports neutrophil recovery and mobilises peripheral blood stem cells in patients or healthy donors.
How it is given
By injection under the skin or intravenous infusion under specialist supervision; selected patients may be trained to self-inject.
Monitoring
Regular blood counts are needed. Additional monitoring depends on the treatment context.
What is lenograstim used for?
Licensed uses in adults, adolescents and children older than 2 years include:
Reducing prolonged neutropenia after intensive treatment followed by bone-marrow transplantation in people with non-myeloid cancer.
Reducing severe neutropenia and associated complications after established cytotoxic chemotherapy with a significant risk of febrile neutropenia.
Mobilising peripheral blood progenitor cells for collection from patients or healthy donors.
How does lenograstim work?
Lenograstim is a recombinant form of human G-CSF. It stimulates neutrophil precursor cells in bone marrow, increasing functional circulating neutrophils, and helps release blood-forming progenitor cells into the bloodstream for collection.
How to take lenograstim
Treatment is coordinated by an experienced oncology or haematology centre. Lenograstim may be injected under the skin or given by intravenous infusion. If self-injection is arranged, use only the technique taught by the clinical team. The powder must be mixed with its supplied solvent, handled gently rather than shaken vigorously, and used only if the solution is clear and particle-free.
Do not mix it with other medicines unless directed by the specialist team.
Tell anyone performing blood tests that you are receiving lenograstim.
The product contains phenylalanine; people with phenylketonuria should alert their clinical team.
lenograstim side effects
Common or expected effects
- Bone, muscle, joint, back or limb pain
- Headache, fever, tiredness or nausea
- Injection-site reaction
- Abdominal or general pain
- Temporary changes in white cells, platelets or liver-related blood tests
Get urgent medical advice
- Sudden upper-left abdominal or shoulder-tip pain, suggesting spleen enlargement or rupture
- Breathing difficulty, hypoxia, coughing blood or other serious lung reactions
- Rapid swelling, reduced urination, abdominal fullness or breathlessness associated with capillary leak
- Severe allergic reaction with facial or throat swelling, faintness or breathing difficulty
- Blood or brown colouring in the urine, reduced urination, or facial and ankle swelling suggesting glomerulonephritis
- Symptoms of thrombosis or aortitis, including unexplained chest symptoms, limb swelling, persistent fever, abdominal or back pain
lenograstim in pregnancy
Human pregnancy data are inadequate and the potential risk is uncertain. Lenograstim should be used during pregnancy only when clearly necessary following specialist assessment.
lenograstim while breastfeeding
It is unknown whether lenograstim enters human milk. Product information advises stopping breastfeeding during treatment; discuss an individual plan with the prescriber.
lenograstim interactions
The specialist team should review all prescribed, non-prescribed and herbal products. Important treatment-context interactions include:
Cytotoxic chemotherapy
Concurrent administration is contraindicated because rapidly dividing marrow cells may be especially vulnerable.
Nitrosoureas or mitomycin
Combined use has not been adequately established and may increase toxicity to platelets.
Other haematopoietic growth factors or cytokines
Potential interactions have not been adequately studied in clinical trials.
Common questions about lenograstim
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
What is lenograstim used for?
It shortens certain periods of severe neutropenia after cancer treatment or transplantation and mobilises blood-forming stem cells for collection.
Is lenograstim chemotherapy?
No. It is a growth factor that stimulates bone marrow; it does not directly kill cancer cells.
Does lenograstim increase white blood cells?
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.