"Randomized Trial of Influenza Vaccine With Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor or Placebo in Cancer Patients"
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"Randomized Trial of Influenza Vaccine With
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor or Placebo in Cancer Patients"
Journal of Clinical Oncology (www.jco.org)
(11/02) Vol. 20, No. 21, P. 4313; Ramanathan, Ramesh K.; Potter, Douglas M.;
Belani, Chandra P.
A three-year, patient-blinded,
placebo-controlled trial involving 133 cancer patients determined that
granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor does not significantly improve
patients' response to the influenza vaccine over the placebo. In fact, the
treatment was shown to reduce the response to the flu vaccine when age and
higher initial titers were factors. Therefore, giving the treatment to patients
along with the flu vaccine has no effect, the researchers concluded.
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