Active clinical trials for "Hematologic Diseases"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the histone deacetylase inhibitor CHR-2845 is tolerated in patients with haematological diseases and lymphoid malignancies.

Approximately 40% of the patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) die as a consequence of their cytopenia. As in aplastic anemia, the cytopenia of MDS may be partly due to cytotoxic T cell activity. Immunosuppressive therapy may therefore reverse the cytopenia. In a phase II pilot study of anti-thymocyte globin (ATG) to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS); 41% of patients (61% of patients with refractory anemia) have responded in terms of transfusion independence. Recently, Jonasova et al [32] reported a 82% substantial hematological response rate in 18 patients with MDS of the refractory anemia (RA) subtype treated with cyclosporine alone. Just over 50% of the patients in this series had MDS of the hypocellular type. Cyclosporine alone if indeed efficacious would be a powerful therapeutic option that could be readily used by hematologists in the community to treat patients with MDS. This efficacy needs to be proven in a larger study which includes patients with the other subtypes of MDS and more patients with the non-hypocellular forms of MDS (which constitute approximately 70% of the cases in the community). As MDS is a heterogeneous group of disorders, a randomized comparison with the other immunomodulating intervention of proven benefit, ATG, is appropriate. In this randomized study patients with MDS will receive either ATG alone or cyclosporine alone.

This is a prospective, randomized Phase III trial of FLAC chemotherapy with GM-CSF versus PIXY321 in advanced breast cancer. The primary endpoints of this study will be the duration of thrombocytopenia and the time to recovery of platelets to 50,000/microliters. Other clinical endpoints will include the depth and duration of leukopenia, neutropenia, and anemia, the platelet and RBC transfusion requirements, and the number of documented instances of sepsis and hospitalizations for fever and neutropenia. Laboratory correlates will include the detailed evaluation of the effects on circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells by GM-CSF and PIXY321 and the potential effects these agents have on the bone marrow micro-environment. After 5 cycles of FLAC with GM-CSF versus PIXY321, patients will be treated with 5 cycles of 96 hour infusional taxol. The goal of this part of the study will be to assess the toxicity and feasibility of administering infusional taxol following dose-intensive FLAC chemotherapy.

To determine whether administration of human recombinant erythropoietin (REPO) improved or eliminated the anemia seen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients after therapy with zidovudine (ZDV).

Isolated thrombocytopenia is a common and severe complication of HSCT, which often leads to an increased risk of life-threatening hemorrhage, frequent requirement of platelet transfusions and extended hospital stays, representing a challenging clinical problem. Current treatments for thrombocytopenia after HSCT are frequently unsatisfactory in platelet recovery and for preventing potentially fatal bleeding complications. Therefore, it is urgent to explore an effective therapy to improve the outcomes of thrombocytopenia after HSCT. Previous studies have demonstrated that decitabine, a hypomethylating agent, may reduce platelet transfusions in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. The investigators conducted an prospective clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficiency of rhTPO and decitabine in the treatment of thrombocytopenia following HSCT.

This study will be a single-center treatment protocol, designed to validate the process of related donor haploidentical-SCT at the Wilmot Cancer Institute Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit.

Background: - Interleukin-2 is a drug that can help stimulate the body s response to inflammation. High dose interleukin-2 has been used to treat different types of cancer and immune system disorders. However, it can cause frequent and often serious side effects at the doses currently used for treatment. Very low dose interleukin-2 (700 folds less than regular dose) was previously tested in cancer patients and stem cell transplant recipients. The study observed important immune changes and minimal side effects in those patients. Researchers want to test the healthy immune system's responses to very low doses of interleukin-2 to better understand how the drug works. Objectives: - To study the effects of very low doses of interleukin-2 on healthy volunteers. Eligibility: - Healthy volunteers at least 18 years of age. Design: Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical exam. They will also have blood and urine samples. Participants will receive one of two possible very low doses of interleukin-2 every day for 5 days. Blood samples will be taken twice before the first dose, 1 day after the first dose, and before the next three doses. Followup blood samples will be taken on Days 7, 14, and 28 after the first dose.

This is a research study involving the treatment of leukemia or lymphoma (lymph gland cancer) in adults who have leukemia or lymphoma that is unlikely to be cured with regular anticancer drugs or radiation treatments.

To evaluate engraftment and toxicity of a reduced intensity preparative regimen for patients who receive a matched related or unrelated donor allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT) for malignant hematological diseases

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of oral SCIO-469 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. SCIO-469 belongs to a new class of treatments that inhibit expression and activity of cytokines that play a role in the progression of MDS.