Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Lymphoid"

The treatment combination of Rituxan® (rituximab) and fludarabine has previously been reported to produce a high percentage of responses with less toxicity than other combination treatments. However, some leukemia subjects continue to have leukemia despite treatment with these standard anticancer drug therapies, or they may work for only a short period of time. In some subjects, when the leukemia does not respond well to therapy the leukemia cells may be over-producing one or more proteins. One of these proteins is called Bcl-2. Bcl-2 is a protein that appears to protect cancer cells from being killed and thus lengthens the life of the cancer cells. Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) is a compound that blocks production of the Bcl-2 protein. By first lowering levels of Bcl-2, it is possible that chemotherapy drugs may work more effectively as a cancer treatment. Genasense® may also directly kill CLL cells. This study will test whether treating subjects with Genasense®, fludarabine and rituximab is safe and effective.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of decitabine and valproic acid in treating patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia or previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as decitabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Valproic acid may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Combining decitabine with valproic acid may kill more cancer cells.

This phase II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of alemtuzumab when given together with fludarabine phosphate and total-body irradiation followed by cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil in treating patients who are undergoing a donor stem cell transplant for hematologic cancer. Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate, a monoclonal antibody, such as alemtuzumab, and radiation therapy before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. Giving chemotherapy or radiation therapy before or after transplant also stops the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's bone marrow 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 cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil after the transplant may stop this from happening.

RATIONALE: BL22 immunotoxin can find tumor cells and kill them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of BL22 immunotoxin in treating patients with refractory B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prolymphocytic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if lenalidomide (Revlimid®) can help to control CLL in patients who have already received standard therapy. The safety of lenalidomide will also be studied.

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is a risky procedure. If doctors could reduce the complications, BMT would be safer to use for a wider range of conditions. The purposes of this study are to prevent graft rejection by increasing the amount of immunosuppression and by giving some lymphocytes from the donor before transplant; to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by transplanting T-cell depleted stem cells; to improve the immune effect against residual leukemia by the add-back of donor lymphocytes before transplant and six or more weeks after transplant. Beyond the standard transplant protocol, study participants will undergo additional procedures. First, along with total body irradiation, patients will receive two drugs (a high dose of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine) to suppress immunity and prevent rejection of the transplant. Second, four days before the transplant, patients will be given donor lymphocytes that have been irradiated to make them incapable of causing GVHD. On the day of the transplant, patients will receive an infusion of T-cell depleted bone marrow stem cells. Finally, patients will receive two doses of add-back donor T-cells (45 and 100 days post transplant) and the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine starting on day 44 until about six months after transplant. Study participants must be between the ages of 10 and 56 and have a family member who is a suitable stem cell donor match.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and chlorambucil, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether fludarabine is more effective than chlorambucil in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying fludarabine to see how well it works as first-line therapy compared to chlorambucil in treating older patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

This is a Phase II trial to study the safety and tolerability of subcutaneous alemtuzumab administered without dose escalation to patients with advanced B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL).

This study aims to assess the short term efficacy of a combination immunochemotherapy in patients with relapsed B-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia.

The purpose of this study is to reduce the side-effects from anti-leukemia therapy. The therapy in this study is based upon treatment information learned from prior clinical research programs as well as from laboratory research.