Active clinical trials for "Leukemia"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as idarubicin and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Pravastatin may help idarubicin and cytarabine work better by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drugs. Giving pravastatin together with idarubicin and cytarabine may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of pravastatin when given together with idarubicin and cytarabine in treating patients with acute myeloid 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 that have been treated in the laboratory 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 tacrolimus before and after transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of donor lymphocytes when given after alemtuzumab and combination chemotherapy in treating patients who are undergoing donor stem cell transplant for hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It may also stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin in treating patients with chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia that did not respond to imatinib mesylate.

This randomized phase III trial is studying different combination chemotherapy regimens and comparing how well they work in treating patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 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. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells.

This study will examine the use of the humanized Mik-beta-1 (Hu-Mik-beta1) antibody in patients with T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia (T-LGL). Patients with T-LGL often have reduced white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, and increased numbers of abnormal cells called large granular lymphocytes (LGLs). Patients may have recurrent infections, anemia, or abnormal bleeding. Hu-Mik-beta1 attaches to LGL cells and blocks the action of growth factors called interleukins that stimulate LGL growth. Blocking these interleukins may stop T-LGL leukemia cells from growing. This study will determine the dose and frequency of treatment with Hu-Mik-(SqrRoot) 1 that can safely be given to patients to coat the surface of their leukemic cells with antibody, determine how long the antibody lasts in the blood after injection, and examine the side effects and possible benefits of the drug in these patients. Patients age 18 or older with T-LGL may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, review of pathology studies, skin biopsy, evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis if present, chest x-ray, computerized tomography (CT) scans and other imaging studies as needed, bone marrow biopsy, and blood and urine tests. Participants will receive a single dose of Hu-Mik-beta1 by a 90-minute infusion through a vein. Groups of patients will be treated with increasing doses (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg) of the antibody. Patients who develop serious drug side effects are taken off the study. The treatment requires a 3- to 4-day hospital stay. In addition to Hu-Mik-(SqrRoot) 1 treatment, patients will undergo the following tests and procedures: Collection of blood for 8 days following the dose of Hu-Mik-beta1 to measure blood levels of the antibody. Follow-up visits of 1 to 2 days at 22, 29, and 43 days after the dose of the antibody and then every 3 months for a total of 9 months. Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy if one has not been done within 6 weeks before entering the study, and a repeat biopsy if complete remission of T-LGL is achieved after completing treatment. For the biopsy, an area of the hip is numbed and a special needle is used to draw bone marrow from the hipbone. Imaging studies, such as chest x-ray and CT scan of the body after completing treatment if the screening scans showed abnormalities due to the T-LGL leukemia. Lymph node biopsy in individuals with enlarged superficial lymph nodes due to T-LGL leukemia to see if the treatment is reaching the leukemia in the lymph nodes. There may or may not be a direct benefit from participating in this study. However, the results may help in the treatment of future patients.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as idarubicin and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Monoclonal antibodies, such as gemtuzumab ozogamicin, can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Giving monoclonal antibody therapy together with chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells. Giving healthy stem cells from a donor whose blood closely resembles the patient's blood will help the patient's bone marrow make new stem cells that become red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving idarubicin and cytarabine together with gemtuzumab ozogamicin works in treating patients with previously untreated high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia secondary to myelodysplastic syndrome.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. 3-AP may help fludarabine kill more cancer cells by making them more sensitive to the drug. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of fludarabine when given together with 3-AP in treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia, chronic leukemia, or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

The treatment combination of Rituxan® (rituximab) and fludarabine has previously been reported to produce a high percentage of responses with less toxicity than other combination treatments. However, some leukemia subjects continue to have leukemia despite treatment with these standard anticancer drug therapies, or they may work for only a short period of time. In some subjects, when the leukemia does not respond well to therapy the leukemia cells may be over-producing one or more proteins. One of these proteins is called Bcl-2. Bcl-2 is a protein that appears to protect cancer cells from being killed and thus lengthens the life of the cancer cells. Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) is a compound that blocks production of the Bcl-2 protein. By first lowering levels of Bcl-2, it is possible that chemotherapy drugs may work more effectively as a cancer treatment. Genasense® may also directly kill CLL cells. This study will test whether treating subjects with Genasense®, fludarabine and rituximab is safe and effective.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of decitabine and valproic acid in treating patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia or previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as decitabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Valproic acid may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Combining decitabine with valproic acid may kill more cancer cells.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether CEP-701 given in sequence with induction chemotherapy increases the proportion of patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve a second complete remission (CR).