Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute"

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. Sometimes the cancer may not need more treatment until it progresses. In this case, observation may be sufficient. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy is more effective than observation when given as maintenance therapy in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying tretinoin, mercaptopurine, and methotrexate to see how well they work when given as maintenance therapy compared with observation after combination chemotherapy in treating patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. (Randomization and observation group closed as of 8/15/10)

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of 7-hydroxystaurosporine when given together with perifosine in treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes. 7-Hydroxystaurosporine may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as perifosine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving 7-hydroxystaurosporine together with perifosine may kill more cancer cells.

This randomized phase II trial studies how well giving tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) with or without sirolimus works in preventing acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant for hematologic cancer. Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate, and total-body-irradiation before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It also stops the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune system 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 MMF and tacrolimus with or without sirolimus after transplant may stop this from happening.

This randomized phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of two different schedules of sorafenib in treating patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, or blastic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia. Sorafenib 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.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate both the efficacy and toxicity of infusional arsenic trioxide in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML). In addition, correlation between pharmacokinetic data and both therapeutic response and therapy-related toxicities will be sought.

This pilot phase II trial studies how well erlotinib hydrochloride works in treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Erlotinib hydrochloride may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

Several groups, especially the PETHEMA group (in their LPA96 and 99 trials), obtained low relapse rates in newly diagnosed Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) patients by combining ll-transretinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracyclines without Ara-C, suggesting that avoiding Ara-C in the chemotherapy of APL reduced treatment toxicity without increasing relapses. While the relapse rate for the children with white blood cell(WBC) counts greater than 10×109/L at presentation were higher than those WBC counts less than 10×109/L (31% and 3.5%,respectively) in the LPA96 and 99 trials. A recent adult randomized trial show that avoiding Ara-C leads to an increased risk of relapse in the APL patients with WBC counts less than 10×109/L. The role of the Ara-C remains controversial. And there are very limited data reported on children with APL so far.

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. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

This is a Phase II, open-label, non-randomized study to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of tamibarotene in adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) following treatment with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO). Patients must have received and failed therapy with ATRA and ATO. Treatment may have been administered either as combination therapy or sequentially as single agents. Patients who are intolerant to either drug are eligible for this study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and idarubicin (AIDA) with a dose reduction in patients older than 70 years of age in the remission induction of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). With regard to the induction, the excellent results obtained by the combination of ATRA and idarubicin (AIDA), especially in terms of antileukemic efficacy (1% of resistance), do not support the introduction of substantial changes in this combination. However, given that most of the induction failures were caused by complications, especially of a hemorrhagic nature, and that these had a major impact in the hyperleukocytic forms and in patients older than 70 years of age, the induction was modified as follows: Reduction of idarubicin dose in patients older than 70 years of age (three days instead of four); Early administration of corticosteroid therapy in all patients as ATRA syndrome prophylaxis. A preliminary analysis of the Italian Group for Adult Hematologic Diseases (Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto, GIMEMA) has shown that low dose prednisone use in a prophylactic manner appears to reduce the incidence and severity of the ATRA syndrome, which could also have a favorable impact on the hemorrhagic mortality (non-published data); and Treatment of the hyperfibrinolysis with an antifibrinolytic agent (tranexamic acid). It has been recently reported that APL cells present abnormally high levels of annexins (especially annexin II), and that these levels may provide the fundamental mechanism for the hemorrhagic complications in APL by increasing the production of t-PA dependent plasmin. These findings provide new reasons for the introduction of tranexamic acid in the hemorrhagic prophylaxis of APL.