SCRIPT- Latest Research in a Capsule May 2022

Is Clozapine use associated with haematological malignancies? - Lancet Psychiatry May 2022

Jari Tiihonen; Antti Tanskanen; J Simon Bell; Jessica L Dawson; Vesa Kataja; Heidi Taipale (2022). Long-term treatment with clozapine and other antipsychotic drugs and the risk of haematological malignancies in people with schizophrenia: a nationwide case-control and cohort study in Finland. 

• Clozapine use was associated with increased odds of haematological malignancies in a dose–response manner 
• Exposure to other antipsychotic drugs was not associated with increased odds
• Over 17 years of follow-up of the base cohort, 26 deaths occurred due to haematological malignancy among patients using clozapine, whereas only three deaths occurred due to agranulocytosis
• Patients and caregivers should be informed about warning signs of haematological malignancies, and mental health clinicians should be vigilant for signs and symptoms of haematological malignancy in patients treated with clozapine.