Abstract
GM-CSF represents an important advance in bone marrow transplantation. The drug can be given safely and does not appear to increase the risk of graft- versus-host disease or tumor relapse. This is a rare example of a new technology reducing the cost of health care. By shortening the duration of hospitalization, GM-CSF can significantly reduce the cost of a bone marrow transplant (Table 2). However, there are few data to support the conclusion that the reduction in the duration of neutropenia is associated with a superior survival. This attests to the excellent supportive care that has been developed for patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. At present, GM-CSF has become a standard therapy in autologous bone marrow transplantation. However, the future will undoubtedly see the development of combinations of hematopoietic growth factors and/or new growth factors that will further improve our ability to perform bone marrow transplantation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 14-18 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Seminars in hematology |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 4 SUPPL. 3 |
State | Published - 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology