The use of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in bone marrow transplantation.
GM-CSF represents an important advance in bone marrow transplantation. The drug can be given safely and does not appear to increase the risk of graft-versus-host disease or tumor relapse. This is a rare example of a new technology reducing the cost of health care. By shortening the duration of hospitalization, GM-CSF can significantly reduce the cost of a bone marrow transplant (Table 2). However, there are few data to support the conclusion that the reduction in the duration of neutropenia is associated with a superior survival. This attests to the excellent supportive care that has been developed for patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. At present, GM-CSF has become a standard therapy in autologous bone marrow transplantation. However, the future will undoubtedly see the development of combinations of hematopoietic growth factors and/or new growth factors that will further improve our ability to perform bone marrow transplantation.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-3332.
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Armitage
D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D015996:Survival Rate; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor