Use of colony stimulating factors in acute myeloid leukaemia: A case control study

Haematopoietic growth factors including granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are increasingly being used in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) but with some concern about the possibility of causing proliferation of leukaemic cells. The growth factors are reported to reduce the duration of neutropenia and incidence of infection in neutropenic patients and to increase the disease-free survival of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. We studied 32 episodes of neutropenia in patients with AML following chemotherapy with G-CSF and GM-CSF. Comparison with historical controls showed a significant reduction in infection and morbidity but no difference in duration of neutropenia or antibiotic usage. We conclude that growth factors can be used in AML in our setting with the aim of reducing septic deaths and morbidity. (C) 2000 Science Reviews.