[Quality of life and cytokines in oncological therapy]

The development of the hematopoietic growth-factors had a major influence on the treatment of malignant diseases. Quality of Life gets increasingly important in the setting of high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and erythropoietin (EPO) are two of the most important hematopoietic growth-factors, which contribute to the amelioration of the complications of the malignant disease and the side-effects of the cytostatic treatment. G-CSF reduces the median time of neutrophil recovery, the rate of severe infections and the length of hospitalization. Erythropoietin has a beneficial impact on the quality of life of cancer patients by improving the chronic anemia of cancer, leading to a higher level of physical and social activity, brighter mood, improvement of appetite and general sense of well-being.