HEMATOPOIETIC COLONY-STIMULATING FACTORS AND INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY IN BREAST-CANCER - RECENT ADVANCES

The clinical ramifications and therapeutic evaluation of CSFs are the subject of a rapidly moving field that holds great promise for the tre atment of a variety of medical illnesses. Confirmed benefit of CSFs us ed with chemotherapy in breast-cancer patients include: 1) a decreased incidence and duration of granulocytopenia and resultant infections f rom standard-dose chemotherapy; 2) decreased treatment delay and allow ing use of full or somewhat increased dose-rate intensities with resul tant improved response rates; 3) allowing substantial increments in si ngle DI, dose-rate intensity and/or total delivered dose with probabil ity of improved survival.