Leukemia in bipolar mood disorder: is lithium contraindicated?

The ability of lithium to cause leukocytosis has led to concern that it may also stimulate leukemic cells and hence cause the development of leukemia. This concern has mostly been associated with anecdotal case reports and in vitro studies. In contrast, epidemiology studies and in vivo data fail to affirm this concern. Overall, there is not enough information linking lithium to leukemic development to substantiate such an association.