Objective?To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods?We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, and VIP databases from January 2000 to October 2009. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about G-CSF for patients with ALL were retrieved. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed and the data was extracted according the Cochrane Reviewer’s Handbook. Meta-analyses for overall survival, complete remission, quality of life, infections, relapse rate, and adverse events were performed using RevMan 5.0 software. Results?Six RCTs involving 620 patients with ALL were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that the G-CFS group was superior to the control group in the overall survival of adult ALL patients (RR=2.24, 95%CI 1.28 to 3.90, P=0.004). Conclusion?G-CSF can improve the overall survival of adult ALL patients. However, it is not demonstrated that G-CSF could improve complete remission rate and quality of life, and reduce infections and relapse rate. More high-quality and large scale RCTs are required.
