Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Lymphoid"

Multicenter, open-label, study of alvocidib in previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Primary objective is to determine overall response rate. The secondary objectives are: to assess overall safety, to assess duration of response, progression free survival, and overall survival. Clinical benefit and pharmacokinetics parameters are also evaluated.

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 primary objective of this study (TOTXVI) is to compare the clinical benefit, the pharmacokinetics, and the pharmacodynamics of polyethylene glycol-conjugated (PEG) asparaginase given in higher dose (HD PEG) versus those of PEG-asparaginase given in conventional dose (CD PEG) during the continuation phase. This study has several secondary objectives: Therapeutic Objectives: To estimate the event-free survival and overall survival of children with ALL who are treated with risk-directed therapy. To study whether intensifying induction, including fractionated cyclophosphamide and thioguanine, in patients with day 15 MRD > 5%, will result in improved leukemia cytoreduction in this subgroup compared to TOTXV. To assess whether intensification of central nervous system (CNS)-directed intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy will improve outcome in patients at high risk of CNS relapse. Exploratory Pharmacologic Objectives: To identify pharmacogenetic, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic predictors for treatment-related outcomes in the context of the systemic therapy used in the protocol. To compare the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PEG-asparaginase given in higher dose (3,500 or 3,000 units/m2) versus those of PEG-asparaginase given in conventional dose (2,500 units/m2) in the continuation phase. Exploratory Biologic Objectives: To determine the prognostic value of levels of minimal residual disease in peripheral blood at day 8 of remission induction. To validate new markers and methods for MRD detection. To genotype natural killer (NK) cell receptors and measure their expressions at diagnosis and before reinduction, and to associate these features with treatment outcome. To identify new prognostic factors by applying new technologies to study patient material (e.g., stored plasma, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and normal and leukemic cells). Exploratory Neuroimaging Objectives: To use quantitative MR measures (Diffusion Tensor Imaging and high resolution volumetric imaging) to assess differences in myelin and cortical thickness development in patients treated for ALL relative to healthy controls matched for age and gender. To assess the impact of folate pathway genetic polymorphisms on myelin and cortical thickness development and neurocognitive performance. To assess the impact of frontal-parietal lobe myelin and cortical thickness development on neurocognitive performance in attention, working memory, fluency, visual-spatial reasoning and processing speed.

RATIONALE: Pentostatin may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, 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 rituximab, 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 pentostatin together with cyclophosphamide and rituximab may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving pentostatin together with cyclophosphamide and rituximab works in treating patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

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.

This single arm study will assess the safety and effect on response rate of a combination of rituximab and chlorambucil in previously untreated participants with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Participants will receive 6 monthly cycles of combination treatment, followed by up to 6 cycles of chlorambucil alone. Rituximab will be administered on Day 1 of each cycle, at a dose of 375 milligrams per square meter (mg/m^2) intravenously (IV) in Cycle 1, and 500 mg/m^2 in subsequent cycles, and chlorambucil will be administered on Days 1-7 of each cycle at a dose of 10 mg/m^2/day per oral (PO).

The purpose of this study is to determine if a subcutaneous (SC) dosing schedule of veltuzumab can be established in NHL or CLL patients and to confirm the safety and efficacy of veltuzumab that was previously established when administered intravenously.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pentostatin and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Lenalidomide may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving rituximab together with combination chemotherapy and lenalidomide may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving rituximab together with pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and lenalidomide works in treating patients with previously untreated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.

This phase II trial is studying how well giving alemtuzumab with or without methotrexate and mercaptopurine works in treating young patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Monoclonal antibodies such as alemtuzumab can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as methotrexate and mercaptopurine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining monoclonal antibody therapy with chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Biological therapies such as thalidomide use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. Combining fludarabine with thalidomide may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of thalidomide when given together with fludarabine and to see how well they work in treating patients with newly diagnosed B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.