Colony Stimulating Factors (Blood Growth Factors) Are Promising but Unproven for Treating Stroke

Graeme J. Hankey MD, FRCP Section Editor Colony stimulating factors (CSFs), also called hematopoietic growth factors, regulate bone marrow production of circulating blood cells. They have been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental stroke. Some CSFs also mobilize the release of bone marrow stem cells into the circulation; these could help brain repair processes after stroke. We systematically assessed the effects of CSFs on functional outcome and hematology measures in patients with recent stroke.We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE and Science Citation Index. Principal investigators of trials were also contacted. Unconfounded randomized controlled trials recruiting patients with acute or subacute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were included. CSFs included stem cell …