THE EFFECT OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY OF VARIOUS TUMORS

Recombinant human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (rh GM-CSF) has been successfully used in different clinical settings. We evaluated the tolerability of rhGM-CSF treatment in addition to its ef ficacy in preventing myelosuppression and reducing infectious complica tions after standard-dose chemotherapy of various tumors. Of the patie nt group analyzed (n = 308), 75% had solid tumors and 25% had hematolo gical malignancies. In 27.9% of these patients an infection occurred a fter the first cycle of chemotherapy and between 8.2 and 19.0% in late r cycles with a mean duration of fever (above 38.5 degrees C) of 3.6 d ays. Treatment with rhGM-CSF was well-tolerated. After the completion of treatment, the investigators assessed the efficacy of rhGM-CSF in 8 3.7% of the patients as 'very good' or 'good', and as 'moderate' or 'b ad' in only 11.5% of patients as well as the tolerability as 'very goo d' or 'good' in 87.0% of the patients and in 9.4% 'moderate' or 'bad'. We conclude that rhGM-CSF proved to be an effective and well-tolerate d tool in preventing myelosuppression and infectious complications aft er standard-dose chemotherapy of various tumors.