The promise of colony-stimulating factors in clinical practice

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are a class of glycoprotein hormones that stimulate production of the cellular elements of blood. Two of these hormones, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), have shown promise in clinical trials for the treatment of various neutropenic states. This article reviews the published experience in treating patients with GM-CSF and G-CSF and points out potential applications of these drugs in clinical practice.