Active clinical trials for "Leukemia"

Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining oblimersen with imatinib mesylate in treating patients who have chronic myelogenous leukemia that has not responded to previous treatment with imatinib mesylate. Imatinib mesylate may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. Oblimersen may help imatinib mesylate kill more cancer cells by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drug.

This phase II trial studies how well giving fludarabine phosphate, cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and total-body irradiation together with a donor bone marrow transplant works in treating patients with high-risk hematologic cancer. Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate and cyclophosphamide, and total-body irradiation before a donor bone marrow transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing or killing them. Giving cyclophosphamide after transplant may also stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's bone marrow stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune system cells and help destroy any remaining cancer cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil after the transplant may stop this from happening

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy drugs before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells and helps 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. Giving colony-stimulating factors, such as G-CSF, to the donor helps the stem cells move from the bone marrow to the blood so they can be collected and stored. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying how well donor peripheral stem cell transplant works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, or myeloproliferative disorder.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of VNP40101M in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

RATIONALE: Photodynamic therapy uses light and drugs that make cancer cells more sensitive to light to kill cancer cells. Photosensitizing drugs such as aminolevulinic acid are absorbed by cancer cells and, when exposed to light, become active and kill the cancer cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy using aminolevulinic acid in treating patients who have cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma, or early chronic lymphocytic leukemia involving the skin.

RATIONALE: Doxercalciferol may improve low blood cell counts and decrease the need for blood transfusions and may be an effective treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of doxercalciferol in treating patients who have myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

RATIONALE: Giving low doses of chemotherapy before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It also stops the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune system and help destroy any remaining cancer cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). Giving an infusion of the donor's T cells (donor lymphocyte infusion) after the transplant may help increase this effect. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving immunosuppressive therapy before or after the transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well chemotherapy followed by donor peripheral stem cell transplant works in treating patients with hematologic cancer or aplastic anemia.

This research study is to determine the safety and dosage of special cells that may make the patients own immune system fight the leukemia. To do this we will put special genes into cells called fibroblasts that we have grown in the laboratory from a skin sample. The genes we put in these fibroblasts make them produce substances called CD40 Ligand (CD40L) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). These are natural substances that may help the immune system kill leukemia cells. Some of these fibroblasts producing CD40L and IL-2 mixed with a small quantity of the leukemic cells will then be put back into the body. Studies of cancers in animals and in cell lines suggest that substances like CD40L and IL-2 when mixed with cancer cells do help the body to recognize and kill these cancer cells. A treatment using IL-2 has been previously used in more than 40 children with neuroblastoma and similar treatments are being used in adults with other cancers. Some of the patients have shown significant tumor responses. However, we do not know if this treatment will work and we do not know the right amount of each of the special cells to use, so different patients will get different combination and numbers of cells. The purpose of this study is to learn the side effects and safe dosage of these special cells.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of decitabine and FR901228 in treating patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disorders. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as decitabine and FR901228, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. FR901228 may also stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the cancer. Giving decitabine together with FR901228 may kill more cancer cells.

Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of SB-715992 in treating patients who have acute leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, or advanced myelodysplastic syndromes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as SB-715992, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die