[Colony stimulating factors in blood formation]

The aim of this article is to review the present state of knowledge of the clinical effects of the colony-stimulating factors. Clinical experience and publications on this subject are used for this purpose. Colony-stimulating factors are being successfully used in various diseases and clinical situations, particularly in the area of hematology/oncology. However, numerous questions still remain. There are many new untested areas in which filgrastim could be employed. New indications and open questions require suitable new studies.