Filgrastim and Pegfilgrastim are used to:

• A. It increases red blood cell count to combat anemia.
• B. It increases neutrophils in neutropenic clients by improving the neutrophil count prior to bone marrow transplant.
• C. It directly kills cancer cells.
• D. It decreases platelets.

Answer: (B)

Filgrastim and Pegfilgrastim are granulocyte colony-stimulating factors that stimulate the bone marrow to produce more neutrophils. This helps treat or prevent neutropenia in patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy or undergoing bone marrow transplantation, reducing infection risk. They work by binding to the G-CSF receptor on myeloid progenitors and promoting their maturation into neutrophils, so the effect is an increased neutrophil count rather than changes in red blood cells or platelets, and they do not directly kill cancer cells. Pegfilgrastim is the longer-acting form, given less frequently, while filgrastim is shorter-acting and typically given more often.