Active clinical trials for "Myelodysplastic Syndromes"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as arsenic trioxide, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Biological therapies such as etanercept may interfere with the growth of the cancer cells. Combining chemotherapy with biological therapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of giving arsenic trioxide together with etanercept and to see how well it works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

This randomized phase III trial studies tipifarnib in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission. Tipifarnib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. It is not yet known whether tipifarnib is more effective than observation alone in preventing the recurrence of AML.

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.

MS-275 may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as azacitidine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving MS-275 together with azacitidine may kill more cancer cells. This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of MS-275 when given together with azacitidine in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, or acute myeloid leukemia.

RATIONALE: A bone marrow transplant from a brother or sister may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Colony-stimulating factors, such as G-CSF, cause the body to make blood cells. Giving G-CSF to the donor may help the body make more stem cells that can be collected for bone marrow transplant and may cause fewer side effects in the patient after the transplant. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of donor bone marrow transplant and to see how well it works in treating young patients with cancer or a non-cancerous disease.

The purpose of this phase II study is to assess the efficacy of AP23573 in patients with specified relapsed or refractory hematological malignancies.

RATIONALE: Paricalcitol is a form of vitamin D that may help myelodysplastic cells develop into normal bone marrow cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of paricalcitol in treating patients who have myelodysplastic syndrome.

This is the first study of the drug CT53518 when given to humans. The purpose of this study is to determine the highest dose of CT53518 that can safely be given to patients with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and to identify the side effects associated with taking the drug. The study will evaluate how CT53518 is absorbed, broken down, and eliminated by the body. Additionally, the study will evaluate the effects of the drug on a specific type of cell in bone marrow and blood, known as a blast.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the oral iron chelator Deferasirox on liver iron content after one year of treatment in patients with iron overload from repeated blood transfusions. Beta-thalassemia patients unable to be treated with deferoxamine or patients with rare chronic anemias such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Fanconi's Syndrome, Blackfan-Diamond Syndrome, and Pure Red Blood Cell Anemia are eligible for this study. Liver iron content will be measured by liver biopsy at the beginning of the study and after one year of treatment. However, those patients living in the San Francisco/Oakland area may have a SQUID in place of the liver biopsy if the biopsy is not medically possible for them. The SQUID is a non-invasive magnetic means to measure liver iron content.

RATIONALE: Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor are rejected by the body's normal cells. Ultraviolet-B light therapy given before and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation may help prevent this from happening. PURPOSE: Clinical trial to study the effectiveness of combining ultraviolet-B light therapy with allogeneic stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic malignancies.