Study: Clozapine's Annual Blood Cancer Risk Below 0.06%

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Hong Kong scientists studied 400,000 patients to check if clozapine is safe for treating severe schizophrenia.

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When other medicines don't help schizophrenia patients, doctors can use clozapine - the only FDA-approved option.

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The risk of blood cancer from clozapine is rare - only 6 out of 10,000 patients get it each year.

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Scientists watched 10,000 patients for seven years, finding 39 blood cancer cases - showing slightly higher risk for clozapine users.

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Dr. Lai says patients shouldn't worry too much about blood cancer risks when taking clozapine.

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Regular blood tests help doctors catch and fix any problems early, keeping patients safe.

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The study shows clozapine can be safely used when doctors keep a close watch on patients.

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While clozapine might raise blood cancer risk slightly, it doesn't increase chances of getting other types of cancer.

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The Hong Kong team is now studying other mental health medicines to make treatments safer and better.

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