Effect of lithium carbonate on the bone marrow of patients treated for haematological malignancies.

Patients suffering from haematological malignancies were treated with Li2CO3 in order to investigate its effect on the bone marrow depleted by cytotoxic therapy. The results revealed that lithium induced a great number of cells, especially myeloids, in the previously hypoplastic bone marrow. There was a close relationship between the cellularity of the bone marrow and the changes in peripheral WBC and granulocyte counts during lithium carbonate treatment.