Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute"

Patients with some forms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma (MM) are not cured with conventional therapy and new approaches are needed. For the last 15 years we have investigated the potential of using a patient's own T cells (a type of white blood cell [WBC]) to eradicate the tumor. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach in cell culture and animal models of AML and MM. Over the last 5 years we have been preparing to treat patients as part of a Phase I (first in human) clinical trial. The trial treatment involves collecting the patient's own WBCs from the blood by a standard well established and safe process called apheresis. The cells are then cultured in a specialized laboratory (under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions, similar to standards under which pharmaceuticals are produced) over 12 days to convert the cells to specialized tumor-attacking T cells. Early in that culture process the cells are exposed to a virus (that is modified so that it cannot infect or replicate outside the special culture conditions) that contains a special gene. Via the virus, this gene inserts into the patient's T cells in culture and gets incorporated into the T cell's genetic machinery. As the T cells replicate, the new gene produces a protein receptor that becomes part of the patient's T cells. This protein receptor on the T cells has the capacity to specifically recognize and bind to a protein on the leukemia or myeloma cells called the "Lewis Y" antigen. After the modified T cells are infused into the patient, they home into the bone marrow (this tracking is monitored by special radiological techniques) where the new protein receptor on the T cell surface can recognize and bind to the cancer cells (which express Lewis Y). Once bound onto the cancer cells, the T cells get activated and subsequently replicate and kill the cancer cells. The novelty of this approach is that the T-cells will only kill cells that have the Lewis Y on their surface - the cancer cells. Moreover, because there are few normal cells in a person's body that carry Lewis Y, this treatment is likely to only have minor side effects. This gene therapy trial is unique and although the primary purpose is to test the safety of this approach, patients will be monitored closely for anti-tumor responses. As the trial progresses, the dose of T cells infused will increase, in the hope that this will result in a better and stronger immune response to the leukemia or myeloma.

This randomized phase II trial studies how well treosulfan and fludarabine phosphate, with or without total body irradiation before donor stem cell transplant works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia. Giving chemotherapy, such as treosulfan and fludarabine phosphate, and total-body irradiation before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It may also 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 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 before and mycophenolate mofetil after the transplant may stop this from happening.

Albeit the safety of the stem cell transplantation procedure has been greatly improved, further refining the intensity of the conditioning is an important issue to explore, especially in patients with poor prognosis, the goal being to maintain the very favorable safety profile and improve the disease control. This is the goal our prospective trial; we aim to prospectively evaluate in a prospective multicenter trial the efficacy of different conditioning regimens in patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies. The study is a phase II trial randomizing patients between a prospective active control arm (BX2) and two experimental arms (BX3 and BX4). A standard group was kept in this clinical trial in order to avoid the limitations induced by the comparison with historical controls in the context of continuously improving practice. Each experimental arm will be conducted in parallel according to a standard phase II trial design. In addition, this trial will associate four ancillary studies to the main clinical objective: 1/ a prospective assessment of the quality of life of the patients over a period of 2 years 2/ an analysis of the cost effectiveness of the procedure, assessed over a period of 2 years 3/ an observational busulfan pharmacokinetic study 4/ a busulfan pharmacogenomic study

With current chemotherapy protocols, in 60-80% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the leukemic blasts in the bone marrow can be reduced to < 5%. This is called "complete remission (CR)" and is the prerequisite for cure of the disease. During the last years, several genetic and biologic risk factors for the achievement of CR have been defined, and the remission rates vary considerably between patient groups with different risk profiles. On one hand, patients with certain chromosomal or molecular aberrations have very high CR rates of approximately 90%. Moreover, in some of these patients, molecularly targeted therapies for specific genetic aberrations are currently evaluated in clinical trials. However, these genetic aberrations account for only 50-60% of the overall patient population in AML. The remaining patients have a significantly inferior CR rate of only 50-60% with 30% resistant disease after two cycles of standard induction chemotherapy. In conclusion, there is need for improved induction regimens in a large number of adult patients with AML. An improved CR rate in this patient population will increase the number of patients eligible for intensive consolidation such as an allogeneic stem cell transplantation and might thereby be the basis for a better overall outcome. However, there is no clear evidence that this goal can be achieved with the currently available chemotherapy protocols. Clofarabine (2-chloro-2-fluoro-deoxy-9-D-arabinofuranosyladenine) is a nucleoside analogon which combines properties of fludarabine and cladribine. Due to the lack of neurological side effects, clofarabine could be explored in higher doses than other nucleoside analogues and has shown considerable antileukemic activity in patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemias and elderly AML patients alone or in combination with cytarabine. In addition, the combination of clofarabine, cytarabine and idarubicin has produced promising results with acceptable toxicity in patients with relapsed or refractory AML. Based on these initial studies, there is need for a further optimization of the clofarabine dose in this combination. The aim of the AMLSG 17-10 study is therefore to evaluate the tolerability and safety of increasing doses of clofarabine in combination with idarubicin/cytarabine in patients with high risk AML defined by the genetic and molecular risk profile.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the only potentially curative therapy for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Relapse remains a leading cause for treatment failure after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients，so that there is the need to continue to look for alternative therapies. Decitabine, is known to inhibit DNA methyltransferase which results in DNA hypomethylation and expression of silenced genes including those involved in apoptosis. The approval of decitabine for the treatment of MDS and AML has provided an alternative strategy to inhibit disease progression in transplant-eligible patients. To assess the effect of pretransplant decitabine treatment on post transplant outcomes, we recently reviewed our institutional experience with MDS and AML patients.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cytarabine and daunorubicin, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Everolimus may help cytarabine and daunorubicin work better by making cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. Giving everolimus together with cytarabine and daunorubicin may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of everolimus when given together with cytarabine and daunorubicin in treating patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia.

This is one of the first studies of combination of Zarnestra plus Velcade in man. A primary objective of the study is therefore to assess the safety and tolerability of multiple doses of Zarnestra plus Velcade in patients with AML. New treatments for patients that are untreatable with intensive chemotherapy aged de novo AML patients or post-relapse AML are urgently required since, at present, many of the drugs used for second line therapy are the same as those used for first induction and response rates are much lower. The following evidence suggests that Velcade plus Zarnestra can be an attractive therapeutic combination for: AML patients. Affymetrix gene profiling data showed expression of NFkB1 in all of 5 myeloid cell lines cell lines tested and 35% of over 250 patient samples ( data generated in collaboration with Sergio Ferrari and Pier Paolo Piccaluga unpublished results, our Institute and University of Modena,Italy) Preclinical evidence showed that AML cells in suspension culture were prevented to develop de novo drug resistance and mediated drug resistance. In Part B additional patients with AML will be treated to further characterize the tolerability,biological effects, and clinical efficacy of the combination Velcade plus Zarnestra. Patients on treatment for AML will undergo regular bone marrow aspirates and biopsies to assess responses to treatment. This will facilitate frequent assessment of biological endpoints (reduction in expression and phosphorylation of IKKb kinase, and downstream markers of signalling along with apoptosis, survival, proliferation and cellular size and ploidy) will be made in an attempt to confirm that the desired biological activity has been achieved at the maximum tolerated dose.

Primary Objectives: This a pilot project to determine the feasibility of the preemptive CD8+ depleted T-cell donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in: Reducing the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) based on standard classification of acute and chronic GVHD Improving hte disease remission rate in comparison with our previous study results. Secondary Objectives: To investigate the impact of CD8+ depleted T-cell DLI in hematopoietic chimerism, and immunologic recovery of transplant patients.

This trial is a single-center, non-blind, two-arm randomized prospective controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of two induction chemotherapy regimens (high-dose cytarabine plus daunorubicin [HDAC] vs. cytarabine plus high-dose daunorubicin [AD]) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The primary hypothesis of the study is that AD is superior to HDAC in terms of event-free survival (EFS, time from registration to induction failure, relapse, or death).

Patients will receive oral SKLB1028 for 28 days as a course of treatment, and then to evaluate the side effects,tolerability and best dose for treating relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia With FLT3 Mutations.