Active clinical trials for "Myelodysplastic Syndromes"

RATIONALE: Biological therapies, such as anti-thymocyte globulin and etanercept, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop cancer cells from growing. Giving anti-thymocyte globulin together with etanercept may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving anti-thymocyte globulin together with etanercept works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

The primary objectives of the trial are to assess erythroid response to darbepoetin alfa, as determined by changes in hemoglobin and/or red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependence and to describe the safety profile of darbepoetin alfa in patients with MDS. The secondary objective is to assess bone marrow progenitor BFU-E growth before and after treatment with darbepoetin alfa.

Childhood leukemias which cannot be cured by chemotherapy alone may be effectively treated by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Moreover, for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only proven curative modality of treatment. Patients who have received hematopoietic stem cells from an HLA matched sibling donor have proven to be less at risk for disease relapse and regimen related toxicity. However, about 70% of patients in need of HSCT do not have an HLA matched sibling donor. This necessitates the search for alternative donors, which may increase the risk of a poor outcome. The nature of the hematopoietic stem cell graft has been implicated as a primary factor determining these outcomes. The standard stem cell graft has been unmanipulated bone marrow, but recently several advantages of T-lymphocyte depleted bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) have been demonstrated. However, T-cell depletion may increase the risk of infectious complications and leukemic recurrence while an unmanipulated stem cell graft may increase the risk of graft vs. host disease (GVHD). A key element in long range strategies in improving outcomes for patients undergoing matched unrelated donor (MUD) HSCT is to provide the optimal graft. The primary objective of this clinical trial is to estimate the incidence of acute GVHD in pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies who receive HSCT with an unmanipulated marrow graft. The results of this study can be used as the foundation for future trials related to engineering unrelated donor graft.

Blood and marrow stem cell transplant has improved the outcome for patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies. However, most patients do not have an appropriate HLA (immune type) matched sibling donor available and/or are unable to identify an acceptable unrelated HLA matched donor through the registries in a timely manner. Another option is haploidentical transplant using a partially matched family member donor. Although haploidentical transplant has proven curative in many patients, this procedure has been hindered by significant complications, primarily regimen-related toxicity including GVHD and infection due to delayed immune reconstitution. These can, in part, be due to certain white blood cells in the graft called T cells. GVHD happens when the donor T cells recognize the body tissues of the patient (the host) are different and attack these cells. Although too many T cells increase the possibility of GVHD, too few may cause the recipient's immune system to reconstitute slowly or the graft to fail to grow, leaving the patient at high-risk for significant infection. For these reasons, a primary focus for researchers is to engineer the graft to provide a T cell dose that will reduce the risk for GVHD, yet provide a sufficient number of cells to facilitate immune reconstitution and graft integrity. Building on prior institutional trials, this study will provide patients with a haploidentical graft engineered to specific T cell target values using the CliniMACS system. A reduced intensity, preparative regimen will be used in an effort to reduce regimen-related toxicity and mortality. Two groups of patients were enrolled on this study. One group included those with high-risk hematologic malignancies and the second group included participants with refractory hematologic malignancies or undergoing a second transplant. The primary aim of the study was to estimate the relapse rate in the one group of research participants with refractory hematologic malignancies or those undergoing second allogeneic transplant. Both groups will be followed and analyzed separately in regards to the secondary objectives. This study was closed to accrual on April 2006 as it met the specific safety stopping rules regarding occurrence of severe graft vs. host disease. Although this study is no longer open to accrual, the treated participants continue to be followed as directed by the protocol.

Valproic acid is a medication that is currently used in the prevention of seizures, bipolar disorder, and migraine headaches. Researchers hope that it may improve the effects of decitabine. Decitabine is a chemotherapy drug with known activity in leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Zosuquidar trihydrochloride, a modulator of multidrug resistance (MDR), may help daunorubicin and cytarabine kill more cancer cells by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drugs. It is not yet known whether daunorubicin and cytarabine are more effective with or without zosuquidar trihydrochloride in treating acute myeloid leukemia or anemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well giving zosuquidar trihydrochloride together with daunorubicin and cytarabine works compared to daunorubicin and cytarabine alone in treating older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia or anemia that has not responded to previous treatment.

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 FR901228 in treating patients who have myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

To compare the safety and efficacy profiles of decitabine to those of supportive care in adults with advanced-stage myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)

Tipifarnib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of tipifarnib in treating patients who have acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome in first complete remission

This phase II trial studies how well reduced intensity donor peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant works in treating patients with de novo or secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission. Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate, and total-body irradiation (TBI) before a donor PBSC transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It may also stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's 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