Colony Stimulating Factors

Colony Stimulating Factors - Substances that assist the bone marrow in producing blood cells. Colony stimulating factors (CSF) are growth factors naturally produced in the body. Some forms of colony-stimulating factors include filigrastim (also called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and G-CSF), sargramostim (also called granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and GM-CSF), and promegapoietin.

Because some cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy) can affect white blood cells (which help fight infection), colony-stimulating factors may be introduced to help support white blood cell levels and strengthen the immune system. Colony-stimulating factors may also be used following a bone marrow transplant to help the new marrow start producing white blood cells.

Previous: Colon Cancer Treatment

Next: Colorectal Cancer

Back to the Cancer Glossary