Active clinical trials for "Leukemia"

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tissue and blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at tissue and blood samples from patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

CML, a malignant disorder of stem cells, is characterized by increases in both immature and mature myeloid, erythroid, and lymphoid cells, as well as platelets in the peripheral blood. The cytogenetic hallmark of CML is the Philadelphia(Ph)chromosome found in the malignant cells of 95% of patients. CML comprises 7-20% of all leukemias with an overall incidence in the general population estimated at 1 to 2 per 100,000. The peak incidence occurs in the fifth decade, however, all age groups, including children, are affected. The only reported environmental risk factor is exposure to excessive ionizing radiation that is documented in only a very small percentage of patients. Clinically, CML is characterized by an initial chronic phase in which patients may report mild constitutional symptoms; however, 40-50% are asymptomatic and are diagnosed based upon abnormal blood counts discovered during a routine examination. The chronic phase typically lasts three to five years, and is followed by an accelerated phase distinguished by progressive systemic symptoms, an increasing resistance to conventional chemotherapy, and a rise in the peripheral blood and bone marrow blast count. This evolves rapidly into a blastic crisis characterized by immature cells resembling the blasts characteristic of acute leukemia. The presence of 30% or more blastic cells in the blood or marrow is diagnostic of this final blastic phase which is typically fatal within 3 to 6 months. The primary treatment options for CML have traditionally been monotherapy with either busulfan or hydroxyurea. Both agents are able to control the clinical symptoms associated with CML, as well as induce hematological remissions in 80% of chronic phase patients. However, complete cytogenetic remissions with either agent are rare, and neither is able to prevent eventual progression to the terminal blastic phase; therefore, these therapies can only be considered palliative. The primary purpose of this clinical research trial is to study the feasibility of a reduced intensity allogenic transplant for CML. This study will also determine the side effects as well as the response rate.

The goal of this clinical research study is to find out if using the PR1 peptide vaccine (PR1) without PEG-Intron® (interferon) or in combination with interferon can reduce or eliminate disease in patients who have CML that is in cytogenetic remission after treatment with imatinib mesylate, but who still have small amounts of disease able to be noticed (detected). Researchers want to see if giving low doses of interferon together with PR1 may make the vaccine more effective. The safety of treatment in this study will also be studied.

Primary Objective: 1. To determine the maximally tolerated dose of anti-third party cytolytic T-lymphocytes, defined as the dose which achieve engraftment without severe GVHD (graft-vs-host disease) at 90 days after allogeneic transplantation of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. Secondary Objective: 1. Toxicity, response rate, time to progression and overall survival.

Multi-center, open-label, single-dose, dose-escalating Phase I/II study of GS 9219 in adult patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, NHL or MM. Patients will be enrolled into the study in sequential dose cohorts. Patients will be administered a single IV infusion of GS 9219 on Day 1 of a 21 day cycle and may receive a total of six treatment cycles based on toxicities and response. Patients who demonstrate disease progression will be discontinued from the study. Patients who, at the completion of six treatment cycles, tolerate treatment and show evidence of disease control (response or stabilization) will be eligible to continue receiving treatment at the same dose.

This study will evaluate MK0457 in combination with Dasatinib in patients with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Efficacy and Safety will be evaluated.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if intense management and control of blood sugar levels during treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia, Burkitts lymphoma, or lymphoblastic lymphoma will result in decreased risk of relapse, fewer complications, and/or longer survival.

The goal of this clinical research study is to find the highest tolerable dose of oxaliplatin combined with fludarabine plus cytarabine that can be given to patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) or High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). Once the highest tolerable dose of oxaliplatin in this drug combination is found, the next goal of the study will be to learn the safety and the ability of the drug combination to control the disease.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from the patient's cancer cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill cancer cells. Giving vaccine therapy together with donor lymphocyte infusion after a stem cell transplant from the patient's brother or sister may kill any cancer cells that remain after transplant. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects, best dose, and how well vaccine therapy with or without donor lymphocyte infusion works in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or multiple myeloma undergoing donor stem cell transplant.

This study tests the hypothesis that a purely immunosuppressive preparative regimen allows engraftment of related or unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells in subjects with high-risk malignancies, without causing the post-transplant myelosuppression (e.g., neutropenia, thrombocytopenia) that occurs with currently used reduced-intensity (nonmyeloablative) preparative regimens. This study incorporates both safety and efficacy endpoints and evaluates a novel preparative regimen of alemtuzumab plus continuous-infusion pentostatin, two immunosuppressive agents with different mechanisms of action, in recipients of related or unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.