A multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG.CSF) in reducing infectious morbidity and neutropenia induced by consolidation chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). One hundred and twenty-four eligible patients were randomized to receive either rG.CSF (5 micrograms/kg/d d.i.v.; 59 patients) or placebo (65 patients) for 14 days from the day after chemotherapy. All of them were included in the safety analysis, while 57 patients receiving rG.CSF and 64 patients receiving placebo were included in the efficacy analysis. The duration of neutropenia as well as the incidence of fever and febrile neutropenia, and frequency of antibiotic therapy required, were all significantly reduced in the rG.CSF group. No serious adverse reactions were encountered; there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of incidence of adverse events. These results demonstrate that rG.CSF is beneficial to alleviate neutropenic episodes induced by consolidation chemotherapy in patients with AML.