Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute"

Patients are being asked to participate in this study because treatment for their disease requires a stem cell transplant (SCT). Stem cells are the source of normal blood cells found in the bone marrow and lead to recovery of blood counts after bone marrow transplantation. With stem cell transplants, regardless of whether the donor is a full match to the patient or not, there is a risk of developing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD is a serious and sometimes fatal side effect of SCT. GVHD occurs when the new donor stem cells (graft) recognizes that the body tissues of the patient (host) are different from those of the donor. When this happens, cells in the graft may attack the host organs. How much this happens and how severe the GVHD is depends on many things, including how different the donors cells are, the strength of the drugs given in preparation for the transplant, the quality of transplanted cells and the age of the person receiving the transplant. Typically, acute GVHD occurs in the first 100 days following transplant, while chronic GVHD occurs after day 100. Acute GVHD most often involves the skin, where it can cause anywhere from a mild rash to complete removal of skin; liver, where it can anywhere from a rise in liver function tests to liver failure; and the gut, where it can cause anywhere from mild diarrhea to profuse, life-threatening diarrhea. Most patients who develop GVHD experience a mild to moderate form, but some patients develop the severe, life-threatening form. Previous studies have shown that patients who receive SCT's can have a lower number of special T cells in their blood, called regulatory T cells, than people who have not received stem cell transplants. When regulatory T cells are low, there appears to be an increased rate of severe, acute GVHD. A drug known as IL-2 (Proleukin) has been shown to increase the number of regulatory T cells in patients following stem cell transplant, and in this study investigators plan to give low dose IL-2 after transplant. This study is called a phase II study because its major purpose is to find out whether using a low-dose of IL-2 will be effective in preventing acute GVHD. Other important purposes are to find out if this treatment helps the patient's immune system recover regulatory T cells faster after the transplant. This study will assess the safety and toxicity of low-dose IL-2 given to patients after transplantation and determine whether this drug is helpful in preventing GVHD.

A primary goal of this clinical research study is to find the highest safe dose of sorafenib that can be given in combination with idarubicin and Ara-C for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and high-risk, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Once the highest safe dose is found, researchers will then try to learn if this combination treatment can help control AML and high-risk MDS in newly diagnosed patients. The safety of this treatment combination will also be studied.

This phase II trial is studying how well cediranib maleate works in treating patients with relapsed, refractory, or untreated acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. Cediranib maleate may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the cancer.

This study will try to improve the safety and effectiveness of stem cell transplant procedures in patients with cancers of the blood. It will use a special machine to separate immune cells (T cells) from the blood of both the donor and the patient and will use photodepletion, a laboratory procedure that selectively kills cancer cells exposed to light. These special procedures may reduce the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a serious complication of stem cell transplants in which the donor's immune cells destroy the patient's healthy tissues, and at the same time may permit a greater graft-versus-leukemia effect, in which the donated cells fight any residual tumor cells that might remain in the body. Patients between 18 and 75 years of age with a life-threatening disease of the bone marrow (acute or chronic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, or myeloproliferative syndrome) may be eligible for this study. Candidates must have a family member who is a suitable tissue match.

The purpose of this study is to find out if patients older than 60, with acute myeloid leukemia, who are in complete remission following initial chemotherapy, will live longer and have a lower rate of leukemia relapse when treated with azacitidine.

Bone marrow stem cell transplants (otherwise called bone marrow transplants) from healthy donors are sometimes the only means of curing hematological malignant diseases such as acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative diseases and lymphomas. Before transplant the patient receives chemotherapy and radiation treatment to reduce the malignancy to low levels and to prevent rejection of the transplant. The transplant restores the blood counts to normal and replaces the patients immunity with that of the donor. The donors immune cells increase the effect of the transplant by attacking remaining malignant cells. Donor immune cells (especially those called T lymphocytes) also attack healthy non-cancerous cells and tissues of the recipient causing "graft-versus-host-disease" (GVHD). Strong GVHD reactions occurring within weeks after the transplant can be life-threatening . In this study we remove most of the T lymphocytes from the transplant to minimize the risk of GVHD. However to improve immunity against residual malignant cells and boost immunity to infections, donor T cells (stored frozen at time of transplant) are given back around 90 days after the transplant when they have a reduced risk of causing serious GVHD. Any patient between 10 and 75 years of age with acute or chronic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative syndromes or lymphoma, who have a family member who is a suitable stem cell donor may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and various tests and examinations.

This randomized phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vorinostat when given together with idarubicin in treating patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vorinostat and idarubicin, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Vorinostat may also stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving vorinostat together with idarubicin may kill more cancer cells.

MULTICENTERS. Uncontrolled and open phase II study. Evaluation of the effectiveness of a treatment associating 5 Azacytidine,Valproic acid ,Retinoic Acid at subjects-reached of syndromes myelodysplasia and acute MYELOID leukaemia Hematological response at 6 months Uncontrolled prospective cohort.

RATIONALE: 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. Monoclonal antibodies, such as gemtuzumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Giving combination chemotherapy together with gemtuzumab may kill more cancer cells. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy is more effective with or without gemtuzumab in treating patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying combination chemotherapy and gemtuzumab to see how well they work compared with combination chemotherapy alone in treating young patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

Bexarotene may be useful in the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This is the first study on the use of bexarotene to treat patients with AML. The main purpose of this study is to establish the proper dose of bexarotene when used to treat AML. The side effect profile of bexarotene in patients with AML will also be explored.