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The effect of Bovine colostrum on the absolute neutrophil counts of Pediatric patients with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia undergoing Chemotherapy: A double blind randomized placebo controlled study

Edith Cyrill L Caysido

Children with cancer represent a unique population in the practice of pediatrics. Demise from cancer is not precisely due to cancer itself but from the complications associated with the disease and its treatment. Chemotherapy is the most common mode of treatment of pediatric cancer. The introduction of chemotherapy regimens has improved survival in children with cancer, but has increased the risk of infections. Changes in the blood counts mainly leukopenia and neutropenia in patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) are common adverse events following chemotherapy. Chemotherapy- induced neutropenia commonly occurs three to seven days after chemotherapy drugs are administered and continues for several days before recovering to normal levels These commonly delays further administration of chemotherapeutic agents thereby potentially affecting therapeutic outcomes. Treatment for neutropenia depends on the cause. In patients with impaired inflammatory response coupled with granulocytopenia, urgent empiric treatment with antibiotics of broad-spectrum activity is warranted to decrease the risk of sepsis. For chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, the usual strategy in recent years has been the injection with a man-made protein that is similar to the naturally occurring protein, which is the granulocyte- colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). These are usually given shortly after the last treatment in a chemotherapy cycle and are continued for up to two weeks, but their costs limit their use. In cancer patients it has been suggested that fortification with good nutrition is the foundation for building a strong immune system. Although boosting the immune system is not the definitive treatment for cancer, this is incredibly important in the fight against cancer and infection. Bovine colostrum has shown some promises in different fields of medicine and one claim is its use in prevention of neutropenia. However, there are no studies to support such claim