LITHIUM AND GRANULOCYTOPENIA DURING INDUCTION THERAPY OF ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 54  (3) , 636-641
Abstract
Patients (27) receiving a standard cytosine arabinoside and daunorubicin regimen as induction or reinduction therapy of acute myelogenous leukemia were randomly assigned to receive lithium carbonate, 300 mg t.i.d. [3 times/day], or no Li. Treatment groups were comparable with respect to age and baseline granulocyte counts. All patients developed granulocyte nadirs below 100/mm3. By actuarial analysis, the median duration of granulocytopenia, < 1000/mm3, was 16.0 days in the Li group and 24.6 days in the no/Li group, P = 0.013. The median duration of granulocytes < 500/mm3 also favored the Li group but only approached statistical significance: 14.0 days vs. 20.5 days, P = 0.054. Li levels between 0.5 and 1.0 meq/l were easily maintained in 11 of 12 patients receiving Li, 300 mg t.i.d., and toxicity directly attributable to Li was not observed. Despite the shortened duration of neutropenia, the incidence of infections and the rate of remission were not affected.