Long-term follow-up of normal peripheral blood progenitor cell donors treated with filgrastim:: no evidence of increased risk of leukemia development

Data on the long-term safety of filgrastim administration in peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) donors are scarce. The main theoretical risk is believed to be the possible development of leukemia. We conducted a survey of filgrastim-treated related donors to determine the incidence of leukemia after PBPC donation. Of the 343 PBPC donors eligible for inclusion in the survey, 281 (82%) were interviewed by telephone between December 1998 and February 2000. The mean age at donation was 44 years. The median time elapsed after PBPC donation was 39 months, and in 278 (99%) of the interviewed donors it was at least 1 year. At the time of the interview none of the donors had been diagnosed with acute or chronic leukemia. Although the sample size is small and the follow-up duration is limited, these data suggest that exposure to filgrastim is not associated with any notable risk of leukemia development in PBPC donors.