Active clinical trials for "Leukemia"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) together with rituximab may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with rituximab works in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that has not responded to fludarabine (closed to entry as of 10/2006), CLL with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, or Richter transformation.

Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as CCI-779, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. This phase II trial is studying how well CCI-779 works in treating patients with recurrent or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide, and total-body radiation therapy before a donor peripheral stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It may also stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. When the healthy stem cells from a donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It is not yet known whether low-dose chemotherapy and total-body radiation therapy is more effective than high-dose chemotherapy in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying low-dose conditioning to see how well it works compared to high-dose conditioning followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplant in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the combination of alemtuzumab and rituximab is safe and effective in treating patients with relapsed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and to determine whether alemtuzumab can be given as a single weekly subcutaneous dose, together with rituximab.

5-aza is a chemotherapy drug with activity in leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Researchers hope that valproic acid (VPA) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)will increase the effects of 5-aza. The goal of this clinical research study is to find the highest safe dose of valproic acid (VPA) that can be given in combination with 5-azacytidine (5-aza) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in the treatment of AML and MDS. The safety and effectiveness of this combination therapy will also be studied. Additional blood and bone marrow samples will be requested. These samples will be used to evaluate the effect of the treatment on leukemic cells. In addition, any leftover blood and bone marrow samples that are collected at the start of the study and during the regularly scheduled evaluations to be sent for research studies. The research studies will examine changes in the blood and bone marrow cells that might help explain the causes of leukemia and MDS and how the combination of 5-aza, VPA, and ATRA works.

This study is a multicenter trial of treatment for young ALL patients. All ALL patients will receive the same steroid pre-phase in order to evaluate sensitivity or resistance. Then, patients will be included into 3 specific trials according to biological features (immunophenotype, cytogenetics, and molecular biology). Group for Research on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (GRAALL) 2005: T ALL or B ALL non Ph (N=810 patients planned). GRAALL 2005 R: B ALL non Ph CD20+ (N=220 patients planned). GRAAPH 2005: ALL Ph+ (N=270 patients planned)

This proposal, developed in the framework of the GIMEMA, will permit: to evaluate the activity and toxicity of imatinib in the treatment of Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia; to evaluate the molecular response to the treatment, and to monitor the molecular status of remission in all cases achieving or not a molecular response. The GIMEMA has activated a network to centralize all biological samples (bone marrow and peripheral blood) at diagnosis from all new ALL patients. This will permit to identify, in particular, Ph + and/or BCR/ABL + cases within 5 days from diagnosis, thus permitting to treat these patients according to different programs on the basis of the presence of Ph chromosome.

This is a Phase II trial designed to determine the efficacy and safety of perifosine in patients with leukemia who develop progressive disease or recurrence while receiving therapy.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as clofarabine and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of clofarabine when given together with cytarabine and to see how well they work in treating young patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (Phase I closed to enrollment as of 09/16/09)

This is a new platform in non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation to improve survival by harnessing the immunologic potential of donor T-cells to induce and maintain long-term remissions in patients with hematologic malignancies without undue toxicity. This study involves is the first study in humans directed at optimizing the graft vs leukemia effect by infusing activated T-cells from healthy donors prophylactically, months after recovery from the initial transplant. Investigators are studying whether the activation of donor cells prior to infusion will enhance the patient's ability to "seek and destroy" residual malignant cells while also helping the immune system to fight infection without increasing the immune reaction against the host.