[Protective effect of lithium carbonate in neutropenia induced by antiblastic agents and evaluation of its long-term efficacy].

The association of lithium carbonate and antiblastic drugs has been studied in 22 patients suffering from tumours to see whether it was able to prevent or attenuate the neutropenising effect and establish whether its protection action on leucocytaemia was not just transitory but was maintained for prolonged treatment also. Patients were submitted to four oncolytic treatment cycles during which administration with LiCO3 was associated with the first and third cycles (LNLN sequence) in 14 patients and with the second and fourth (NLNL sequence) in the other 8. Statistical analysis of the results obtained confirmed that lithium carbonate performs a protective action with respect to antiblastic-induced neutropenia and that the action is long term. The drop in monocytes also seems to diminish after administration of lithium carbonate.