Colony-Stimulating Factors are hematopoietic growth factors, cytokines stimulating cell growth. Cytokines are cell-derived chemicals that are secreted by various types of cells and act on other cells to stimulate or inhibit their function. Chemicals derived from lymphocytes are called “lymphokines.” Chemicals derived from lymphocytes that act on other white blood cells are called “interleukins,” that is, they interact between two types of leukocytes. Some cytokines can be made commercially and used in treatment. Granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is one suchcytokine. It stimulates the production of neutrophils and shortens the period of low neutrophil counts in the blood after chemotherapy Substances that stimulate the production of blood cells. Treatment with colony-stimulating factors (CSF) can help the blood- forming tissue recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These include granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSF).
Many clinical trials involve various forms of biological therapy. Interleukins and colony-stimulating factors are forms of biological therapy being studied to treat leukemia.