Stem Cells, Vol 11, 20-25, Copyright © 1993 by AlphaMed Press
GM-CSF as an adjunct to autologous bone marrow transplantation
S Gulati, C Bennett, J Phillips and C Van-Poznak
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
Patients with cancer can now benefit from intensive drug dosage. Intensive
drug dosage has become more effective because of the availability of better
anti-emetics, hematopoietic growth factors such as granulocyte-macrophage
colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte CSF (G-CSF),
erythropoietin, etc. and improvements in hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation. We have evaluated the clinical and cost effectiveness of
GM-CSF in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation
(AuBMT) for Hodgkin's disease. Administration of GM-CSF after AuBMT
enhances myeloid and platelet recovery and is cost effective in the
treatment of patients with relapsed Hodgkin's disease who received
intensive chemotherapy and AuBMT. We also describe the use of various new
therapeutic approaches with emphasis on clinical and cost benefit. Further
work is needed to improve the route and duration of growth factor(s)
infusion and the timing of the various treatments.
