[Colony stimulating factor producing carcinoma of the pancreas--a case report]

Reported is the case of a 71-year-old male patient with a pancreatic carcinoma that showed marked leucocytosis of up to 71300/mm3. Tests revealed that the patient's granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in serum was 0.65 ng/ml and 0.74 ng/ml in pleural effusion, these values almost triple the values of a normal control (0.20 in serum, 0.25 ng/ml in pleural effusion). These findings have indicated that the tumor itself was responsible for producing the inflated values of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. This case of a G-CSF-producing pancreatic carcinoma is discussed, along with a review of the pertinent literature.