Treatment of aplastic anaemia with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and risk of malignancy

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is being increasingly used in healthy volunteers to harvest haemopoietic stem cells, A possible role of G-CSF in the development of clonal disorders or leukaemia has been suggeste d. We analysed 144 patients with aplastic anaemia treated with immunosuppre ssion protocols with or without G-CSF, with normal cytogenetics at diagnosi s or immediately after immunosuppression, Our findings indicated that the r isk of developing myelodysplasia or leukaemia was similar in patients with aplastic anaemia on immunosuppressive treatment with or without G-CSF. Ther efore, it seems unlikely that G-CSF causes leukaemia in healthy volunteers.