Lithium treatment in adults with acute myeloid leukemia receiving chemotherapy

Abstract

To determine whether lithium can shorten chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, 35 adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia undergoing initial chemotherapy were randomized either to receive oral lithium started at the time of biopsy-proven hypoplasia or to receive no lithium. This study failed to show statistically significant shortening of the duration of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in the lithium treatment group.

Failure of lithium to reduce period of neutropenia during induction therapy of acute myeloid leukemia

“…This change was associated with a reduction in the number of infective episodes. Belch et al (198 1) reporting on a randomized trial of 73 patients found lithium to be ineffective in reducing the period of neutropenia as did Horns et al (1984) in a trial of 35 patients. In a preliminary study Stein et al (1979) showed promising results but these were not confirmed in a larger randomized control trial (Stein et al, 1984).…”

Cancer risk from inorganics

“…In addition, lithium is used in the treatment of leukopenia, for example, after systemic chemotherapy, as it has been shown to cause leukocytosis via a selective increase in the number of circulating neutrophils (reviewed by Leber [249] ). Although such an effect has been shown in cancer patients by several researchers; for example, in the treatment of small cell carcinoma of the lung [250], it is not observed by others, as in the case of acute myeloid leukemia therapy [251,252].…”