Arterial Thrombosis Associated with Granulocyte-macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) Administration in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Dose-intensive Chemotherapy: a Report of Two Cases

The occurrence of arterial thrombosis reported in other breast cancer series has largely been confined to the upper extremities, ipsilateral to a previous mastectomy site and clinically manifest as cerebral vascular accidents. This case report describes 2 patients who experienced iliac artery thrombosis temporally related to receiving granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and dose-intensive chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. A review of the literature concerning arterial thrombosis as relevant to breast cancer treatment and GM-CSF is included.