Which patient population is most at risk when receiving colony-stimulating factors?

• A. Neutropenic patients
• B. Hypercalcemic patients
• C. Patients with high WBC counts
• D. Patients with dehydration

Answer: (A)

Colony-stimulating factors stimulate the bone marrow to produce neutrophils, which helps reduce infection risk after chemotherapy or other causes of neutropenia. The patient population most in need of this protection—and thus most affected by the use of these agents—is those who are neutropenic, because their immune defenses are already severely compromised. By boosting neutrophil production, CSFs directly target the major vulnerability in neutropenic patients, lowering their risk of serious infection. Adverse effects to watch for include bone pain, leukocytosis, and splenomegaly, but these are managed with monitoring. Hypercalcemia, dehydration, or a high baseline WBC count aren’t the scenarios CSFs are primarily used to address, making neutropenic patients the group of greatest concern.