© 1999 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 3, 210-212,
February 3, 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
Colony-Stimulating Factors Stimulate Some Treatments, Continue to Evolve
The colony-stimulating factors G-CSF and GM-CSF were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1991 and then seemed to drop off the oncology map. But they are hardly has-beens; the molecules have changed the way oncologists treat some types of cancer, revitalizing the field of high-dose chemotherapy. Questions and issues remain about their use and effects.
G-CSF and GM-CSF, although often thought of and used interchangeably, have never been compared head-to-head in clinical trials. Many physicians use the factors outside the scope of FDA approval, sometimes in spite of studies that show little benefit, and sometimes because such studies do not exist.
Current research on the factors creatively harnesses their power to trigger blood cell growth,
sometimes with results that were only dreamed of as recently as 10 years ago. Some scientists are
also researching hypotheses that the overproduction of these factors, or abnormalities
Cytokine Stability
Intriguing Model
Souped Up