Use of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in graft failure after bone marrow transplantation

The effect of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) was evaluated in 37 patients with marrow graft failure after allogeneic (n = 15), autologous (n = 21), or syngeneic (n = 1) bone marrow transplantation. rhGM-CSF was administered by 2-hour infusion at doses between 60 and 1,000 micrograms/m2/d for 14 or 21 days. At doses of less than 500 micrograms/m2, rhGM-CSF was well-tolerated and did not exacerbate graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic transplant recipients. No patient with myelogenous leukemia relapsed while receiving rhGM-CSF. Twenty-one patients reached an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) greater than or equal to 0.5 x 10(9)/L within 2 weeks of starting therapy while 16 did not. None of seven patients who received chemically purged autologous marrow grafts responded to rhGM-CSF. The survival rates of GM-CSF-treated patients were significantly better than those of a historical control group.