Without an adequate blood supply, a cancer cannot thrive. However, researchers are still uncertain exactly how TNF destroys tumors. Although TNF has shown promising antitumor activity in laboratory studies, the dose needed for this level of activity is extremely toxic. Researchers have found that TNF therapy is most effective and least toxic when directed at a specific tumor site, rather than administered throughout the body. Clinical trials are under way to investigate the effectiveness of TNF therapy alone and in combination with other BRMs in treating a variety of cancers.
Bone marrow is important to the body's immune system because it is the source of all blood cells.
The CSFs' stimulation of the immune system may benefit patients undergoing cancer treatment. Researchers have found CSFs particularly beneficial when used in combination with high-dose chemotherapy. Because anticancer drugs can damage the body's ability to make white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting infection, patients have an increased risk of developing infections during chemotherapy. Doctors must carefully monitor white blood cell levels during chemotherapy. However, using CSFs, which stimulate white blood cell activity, doctors can give higher, perhaps more effective, chemotherapy doses with decreased risk of infection.