Patients with breast cancer (age range: 41-71 years) were assigned to receive PEG-G-CSF on day three or four of a three-week epirubicin and cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimen (dose-dense epirubicin and cyclophosphamide; 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide; or basic epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) using heterochronic timing. Here, CSF3 is linked to breast carcinoma.