Active clinical trials for "Multiple Myeloma"

RATIONALE: Collecting and storing samples of bone marrow and blood from patients with cancer to study in the laboratory may help doctors find better ways to treat the cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at natural killer cells in bone marrow and blood samples from patients with hematologic cancer and from patients who do not have cancer.

The purpose of this study is to assess preliminary efficacy and to determine the safety and feasibility of ex vivo generated dendritic cell (HDC) infusion with and without donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) after allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT). We also wish to establish the feasibility of apheresis shipment as well as vaccine shipment and stability in the population.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors predict whether patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant will develop acute graft-versus-host disease. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying T cells to see how well they help in predicting acute graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant.

RATIONALE: Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Thalidomide may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking blood flow to the cancer. Giving bortezomib together with cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone, and thalidomide may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving bortezomib together with cyclophosphamide, dexamethasone, and thalidomide works in treating patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated multiple myeloma.

RATIONALE: Bortezomib 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as dexamethasone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving bortezomib together with dexamethasone may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving bortezomib together with dexamethasone works in treating patients with multiple myeloma that has relapsed or has not responded to treatment.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Thalidomide may stop the growth of cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the cancer. Peripheral blood stem cell transplant using stem cells from the patient or a donor may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy used to kill cancer cells. The donated stem cells may also help destroy any remaining cancer cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). It is not yet known whether chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplant is more effective with or without thalidomide in treating multiple myeloma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving combination chemotherapy with thalidomide to see how well it works compared with giving combination chemotherapy without thalidomide in treating patients with multiple myeloma.

RATIONALE: Umbilical cord blood or placental blood transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy or radiation therapy that was used to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood and placental blood transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer or aplastic anemia.

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy drugs and total-body irradiation before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It also helps stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. When the healthy stem cells from a donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the effectiveness of donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant in treating patients with hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of arsenic trioxide in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory acute leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, myelodysplasia, lymphoma, or myeloma.

In this study, the Myeloma Patient Outcome Scale (MyPOS) will be translated from English to German. This translated version will be quantitatively and qualitatively validated with patients with multiple myeloma.