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Use of rHuG-CSF for the Treatment of Myeloid Leukemia and in Targeting Leukemia Stem Cells

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Twenty Years of G-CSF

Part of the book series: Milestones in Drug Therapy ((MDT))

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Abstract

The utility of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rHuG-CSF) in leukemia treatment has been well established, in supporting granulopoiesis after chemotherapy and in mobilizing hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) for both allogeneic and autologous transplantation. Successes in these two objectives have led to significantly improved care of patients with leukemia. This chapter discusses another potential application of this agent as a part of targeted therapy against leukemia stem cells (LSC). Within the functional hierarchy of leukemia cells, LSC are the cells capable of initiating disease. Reports have shown that LSC are cell-cycle quiescent and chemotherapy resistant, suggesting their crucial role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relapse. The use of rHuG-CSF may induce quiescent AML stem cells to cycle, thereby rendering them susceptible to chemotherapy. Such application of rHuG-CSF may become an important part of curative therapeutic strategies for AML.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Y. Saito for critical review and comments on this manuscript; S. Takagi and Y. Najima for preparation of Table 1; and N. Suzuki, A. Sone, and M. Tomizawa for technical assistance with primary data presented in this manuscript. Figures 1 and 2 are reproduced from [59] (Saito et al. Nat Biotechnol 2010).

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  1. Research Unit for Human Disease Models, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, 230-0045, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan

    Fumihiko Ishikawa

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  1. Fumihiko Ishikawa
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Correspondence to Fumihiko Ishikawa .

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  1. Amgen Inc., One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, 91320, California, USA

    Graham Molineux

  2. MA Foote Associates, Par Five Court 4284, Westlake Village, 91362, California, USA

    MaryAnn Foote

  3. Amgen, Inc., One Amgen Center Dr. 1, Thousand Oaks, 91320, California, USA

    Tara Arvedson

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Ishikawa, F. (2012). Use of rHuG-CSF for the Treatment of Myeloid Leukemia and in Targeting Leukemia Stem Cells. In: Molineux, G., Foote, M., Arvedson, T. (eds) Twenty Years of G-CSF. Milestones in Drug Therapy. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0218-5_9

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