Hematopoietic growth factors in cancer treatment

The introduction of hematopoietic growth factors during the past five years has changed the scenery of antitumor treatment. Growth factors following high-dose chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation have become established as part of many treatment protocols. The main benefits are earlier recovery of neutrophils resulting in fewer days with fever, antibiotics and hospitalization. Growth factors were found to reduce the treatment-related morbidity and to improve the practicability of therapeutic regimens. First studies on a prospective chemotherapy dose intensification supported by growth factors are underway. As a further effect of growth factors, an attempted enhancement of antitumor cytotoxicity by recruitment of tumor cells to chemosensitivity or by modulation of antitumor drug metabolism appears realistic based on first data on growth factor priming in AML. New ways to support high-intensity and myeloablative antitumor strategies are opened by the autologous transplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells mobilized by growth factors and also by the use of new factors like SCF and the synergistic combination of growth factors as part of future strategies against malignant disorders.