Active clinical trials for "Myelodysplastic Syndromes"

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from peptides may help the body build an effective immune response to kill cancer cells. Biological therapies, such as GM-CSF, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop cancer cells from growing. Giving vaccine therapy together with GM-CSF may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of vaccine therapy and GM-CSF in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, non-small cell lung cancer, or mesothelioma.

The GFM previously conducted a dose-escalating phase II trial of thalidomide in MDS with a minimum dose of 200mg/d and a maximum dose 800mg/d. Responses were evaluated according to IWG criteria at week 16 and thalidomide continued up to week 56 in responders. 82% patients received at least 8 weeks of treatment and were evaluable. 59% had hematological improvement, mainly on the erythroid lineage (Increase of Hemoglobin). Most responses were observed at low doses and between 4 and 8 weeks. The objectives of this trial (Thal-SMD-20) are to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of lower doses thalidomide in low risk MDS patients with transfusion-dependant anemia.

RATIONALE: Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as busulfan and fludarabine, before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells. It also helps stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune cells and help destroy any remaining cancer or abnormal cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Immunosuppressive therapy may improve bone marrow function and may be an effective treatment for hematologic cancer or other disease. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects and how well giving busulfan and fludarabine with or without antithymocyte globulin followed by donor stem cell transplant works in treating patients with hematologic cancer or other disease.

Objectives: Primary: To evaluate the response rate of total cytokine-immunotherapy for low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Secondary: To evaluate response duration, survival and side effects of the treatment.

This study is a phase I, open-label, single-arm, dose escalation trial to determine the safety and activity of lenalidomide combined with lintuzumab in patients with MDS. Small groups of 3-6 patients will be treated with pre-specified doses of lenalidomide and lintuzumab and will receive 3-week cycles of combination therapy.

This study is designed to evaluate the combination of LBH589 and decitabine in patients age ≥ 60 years with high risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (IPSS Int-2 or High) or Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The objective of this research study is to determine the safety and feasibility of chelation therapy with deferoxamine for patients with iron overload who are receiving a stem cell transplant. Patients who have iron overload prior to stem cell transplantation may have more toxicity from the transplantation procedure, and thus may benefit from an attempt at iron chelation pre- and peri-transplantation. In this study we are examining the use of deferoxamine starting 2 weeks to 3 months prior to transplantation and continuing through the preparative regimen.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of deferasirox in transfusion dependent Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Beta-thalassaemia major patients with chronic iron overload

This study will evaluate the overall remission rate of treatment with vosaroxin (formerly voreloxin) Injection in patients at least 60 years of age with previously untreated AML

The purpose of this research study is:(1) to determine if high doses of chemotherapy without total body irradiation can allow selected stem cells to take and grow,(2) to determine if selected stem cells from the blood or marrow can take and not cause a complication called graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and (3) to evaluate the side effects of the combination of chemotherapy drugs used for these transplants. In the last 10 years we have developed chemotherapy combinations to be used for this T-cell depleted transplant protocol. By using three chemotherapy drugs (IV busulfan, melphalan and fludarabine), we hope to have a good chemotherapy combination to kill cancer cells, and to make the graft take, without the side effects of total body irradiation. The chemotherapy drugs to be tested in this protocol are busulfan, melphalan and fludarabine, all of which have been used successfully for stem cell transplantation, but not given together as in this specific regimen. This is what is being tested in this study. Our initial trials in the 1980's with T-cell depleted transplants showed less GvHD, but the overall results of the transplants were not better. The reason for this was that the stem cells did not take and engraft in 15% of our adult patients. This failure of the stem cells to take can leave patients without bone marrow or blood cells necessary for life. Most stem cell transplants were done using bone marrow (BMA) obtained from the donors. However, if we give a medication called G-CSF by shots to the donor, we can collect peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and use them for transplant. The advantage of this approach is that we can collect 2-20 times more stem cells than that obtained from the marrow. It has been proven that a larger number of stem cells in the graft make it more difficult for the patient to reject the stem cells. Some donors may be too small to provide peripheral blood stem cells or they may not want to take G-CSF shots. In these cases the donors will have their marrow collected in the operating room under general anesthesia. Stem cell transplants can lead to a condition known as acute graft-versus-host disease or GvHD. This disease is caused by an assault by certain cells in the marrow or blood (T-cells) of the donor (graft) against your body (the host). These T-cells see your body as foreign and attack it. The disease causes a skin rash, liver disease, and diarrhea. Methods were developed at this institution to prevent GvHD. These methods take out most of the T-cells (responsible for GvHD) from the marrow or blood stem cells before transplant. This is called "T-cell depletion" or "stem cell selection". In this hospital, we use two types of methods of T-cell depletion: one method is used with peripheral blood stem cells and one for bone marrow. Both these techniques have been successful in preventing both acute and chronic GvHD. You will receive a T-cell depleted stem cell transplant.