Definition: Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a naturally-occurring substance in the body that increases the production of various types of white blood cells (granulocytes and monocytes) in the bone marrow. GM-CSF produced in the laboratory is currently approved for the treatment of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other conditions in which chemotherapy has lowered white blood cell counts. It is also being studied in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of advanced melanoma. For example, a 2008 study showed that adjuvant (post-operative) therapy with GM-CSF for 3 years may prolong survival in patients who are at high risk for recurrence. A different approach is OncoVEX, a vaccine currently in a phase III clinical trial that produces GM-CSF within melanoma tumors and hopefully causes the death of the cancerous cells.
Also Known As: GM-CSF, GMCSF, rhGM-CSF, Leukine, Leucomax, sargramostim, molgramostim, granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor, macrophage-activating growth factor
