Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor cancer treatment

Effects of G-CSF (color) or placebo (black line) on absolute neutrophil count (ANC) after cytotoxic chemotherapy for lung cancer. Doses of chemotherapeutic drugs were administered on days 1 and 3. G-CSF or placebo injections were started on day 4 and continued daily through day 12 or 16. The first peak in ANC reflects the recruitment of mature cells by G-CSF. The second peak reflects a marked increase in new neutrophil production by the bone marrow under stimulation by G-CSF. Treated patients in this study had fewer days of neutropenia, days of antibiotic treatment, and days of hospitalization. They also had a lower incidence of infections. (Normal ANC is 2.2-8.6 x 109/L.) (Modified and reproduced, with permission, from Crawford et al Reduction by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor of fever and neutropenia induced by chemotherapy in patients with small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med 1991 325 164.)... 

Bronchud MH, Howell A, Crowther D, Hopwood P, Souza L, Dexter TM. The use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to increase the intensity of treatment with doxorubicin in patients with advanced breast and ovarian cancer. Br J Cancer 1989 60(l) 121-5. 

Hogge, G.S., Burkholder, J., Culp, J., Dubielzig, R.R., Albertini, M.R., Keller, E.T. et al. (1998) Development of human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor transfected tumor cell vaccines for the treatment of spontaneous canine cancer. Hum. Gene Ther., 9, 1851-1861. 

Recently, two hiunan studies with black raspberries have been published. Coloreetal cancer patients were administered 60 g/day of freeze-dried powder for approximately 3 weeks (10-63 days). A daily dose of 60 g/day provided 1,669 mg of anthocyanins. Before and after the treatment with black raspberries, plasma levels of the cytokines IL-ip, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IFN-y, and TNF-a were measured. Berry administration increased plasma GM-CSF concentrations, and patients who ingested berries for more than 10 days also had decreased E.-8 plasma concentrations. An increase in IL-8 has been noted in colorectal carcinoma [38]. 

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