Comparison between granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) have become the preferred source of stem cells for autologous transplantation because of the technical advantage and the shorter time to engraftment. Mobilization of CD34+ into the peripheral blood can be achieved by the administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or both, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. G-CSF and GM-CSF differ somewhat in the number and composition of PBSCs and effector cells mobilized to the peripheral blood. The purpose of this review is to give a recent update on the type and immunologic properties of CD34+ cells and CD34+ cell subsets mobilized by G-CSF or GM-CSF with emphasis on (1) relative efficacy of CD34+ cell mobilization; (2) relative toxicities of G-CSF and GM-CSF as mobilizing agents; (3) mobilization of dendritic cells and their subsets; (4) delineation of the role of adhesion molecules, CXC receptor 4, and stromal cell-derived factor-1 signaling pathway in the release of CD34+ cell to the peripheral blood after treatment with G-CSF or GM-CSF.