Abstract • 62

After allogeneic BMT, G-CSF is used to hasten myeloid engraftment. G-CSF reduces the period of neutropenia by about 6 days allowing to resume chemotherapy at about day 7 post-BMT. Since bone marrow aplasia i.a. also has economic consequences we decided to carry out a cost minimization analysis. We studied 20 children (mean age 9.5 years), 10 treated for malignent hemopathies and 10 for other diseases. We evaluated the costs for drugs, medical equipment and laboratory tests, 6 days before and following bone marrow aplasia, vs those for G-CSF treatment alone. The latter were calculated on the basis of a daily dose of 5µg/kg body weight for a mean weight per child of 28 kgs. We assumed that G-CSF was stabile in solution for 24 hours.

Costs differences were significantly higher (Wilcoxon test) for general treatment ($ 367.6 +/- 383.0) especially for antibiotics ($ 238.3 +/- 157.8) and use of medical equipment ($ 23.1 +/- 27.8). By contrast, mean costs for G-CSF per day was only $ 50.00. When G-CSF treatment was begun 7 days after BMT its costs were fully balanced when bone marrow aplasia occurred before day 15. A prospective study is now initiated in order to evaluate the G-CSF impact on children's quality of life by reducing the duration of hospitalization in a sterile bubble chamber.