Active clinical trials for "Myelodysplastic Syndromes"

Background: Most patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and many patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have a protein called Wilm's Tumor 1 (WT1) in their cancer cells. This protein is thought to be able to influence the growth of these cancers. A vaccine made with the WT1 protein may boost the immune system to help fight these cancers in patients whose cancer cells contain the protein. Objectives: To determine the safety, effectiveness and side effects of giving the WT1 vaccine and donor white blood cells to patients with AML, ALL, CML or NHL who have previously received standard treatment and undergone stem cell transplantation. To determine the immune response to the WT1 vaccine and donor white blood cells in these patients and to determine if the response is related to the amount of WT1 protein in the patient's cancer cells. Eligibility: Patients between 1 and 75 years of age with the blood antigen human leukocyte antigen (HLA-A2) and the WT1 cancer protein who have persistent or recurrent blood cancers after stem cell transplantation. The prior stem cell transplant donor must be willing to provide additional cells, which will be used to prepare the cellular vaccines and for donor lymphocyte (white blood cell) infusions. Design: Patients are given the WT1 vaccine every 2 weeks for 6 weeks (weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). Each vaccination consists of two injections in the upper arm or thigh. On weeks 0, 4 and 8, patients also receive white blood cells from a donor to enhance the immune response. The cells are also given as a 15- to 30-minute infusion through a vein about 1 hour after the vaccine injection. Donor infusions are given only to patients with mild or no graft-vs-host disease resulting from their prior stem cell transplantation. Periodic physical examinations, blood and urine tests, scans to evaluate disease and other tests as needed are done for 12 months after enrollment in the study.

This is an open label, prospective, single institution dose-escalation study. The patient population includes non-induction candidate elderly patients with AML or MDS and/or patients with high-risk or relapsed/refractory AML or MDS. Five dose cohorts will be evaluated using a fixed dose of ATRA in combination with an escalating dose of dasatinib. The investigators will treat with an escalating dose of dasatinib from 70mg to 140mg daily. Dose escalation will proceed in a standard 3+3 fashion. A de-escalation to a 50 mg total daily dose of dasatinib is planned if DLT is greater than or equal to 33% is observed at the first dose level. Once the MTD for the combination of the drugs has been established, up to 6 additional patients will be enrolled at the MTD level to obtain additional safety information about the combination and to allow for preliminary laboratory correlate analysis.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and the best dose of sunitinib malate in treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with cancer receiving antiretroviral therapy. Sunitinib malate may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if sequential administration of decitabine and clofarabine can help to control MDS better than decitabine alone. The safety of this drug combination will also be studied.

RATIONALE: Pemetrexed disodium may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Studying samples of cerebrospinal fluid and blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn how pemetrexed disodium works in the body and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects and how well pemetrexed disodium works in treating patients with leptomeningeal metastases.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the addition of a vaccine after participants reduced intensity transplant will be safe and beneficial. The vaccine used in this trial, called GVAX, will be made from the participants own leukemia cells, and will be given between 1-4 months after transplant. In recent years, researchers have discovered that GVAX vaccine made from the patient's own cancer calls that have been engineered in the laboratory to produce a protein called GM-CSF, can be effective in stimulating a powerful immune response specific to that cancer.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation may provide long-term remissions for some patients with hematological malignancies. However, allogeneic transplantation is associated with a significant risk of potentially life threatening complications due to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on the body and the risks of serious infection. In addition, patients may develop a condition called Graft versus host disease that arises from an inflammatory reaction of the donor cells against the recipient's normal tissues. The risk of graft versus host disease is somewhat increased in patients who are receiving a transplant from an unrelated donor. One approach to reduce the toxicity of allogeneic transplantation is a strategy call nonmyeloablative or "mini" transplants. In this approach, patients receive a lower dose of chemotherapy in an effort to limit treatment related side effects. Patients undergoing this kind of transplant remain at risk for graft versus host disease particularly if they receive a transplant from an unrelated donor. The purpose of this research study is to examine the ability of a drug called CAMPATH-1H to reduce the risk of graft versus host disease and make transplantation safer. CAMPATH-1H binds to and eliminates cells in the system such as T cells that can cause graft versus host disease (GvHD). As a result, earlier studies have shown that patients who receive CAMPATH-1H with an allogeneic transplant have a lower risk of GvHD. In the present study, we will examine the impact of treatment with CAMPATH-1H as part of an allogeneic transplant on the development of GvHD and infection. In addition, we will study the effects of CAMPATH-1H on the immune system by testing blood samples in the laboratory.

There was no well accepted standard of care for participants who failed or were intolerant to any of the currently approved therapies for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In this study, participants were initially assigned to receive 55 or 35 milligrams (mg) of oral clofarabine daily for 5 days. After safety review of the first participants enrolled, the dose was reduced to 25 milligrams per day (mg/day) for up to 8 cycles as long as the participants continued to benefit and in the absence of progressive disease.

Efficacy and safety of 5-Azacytidin in the treatment of the haematological relapse in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome with falling CD34-chimerism after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Association group of therapeutic specialities authorized in a remission induction treatment(FLAG-IDA: fludarabine, cytarabine, G-CSF (lenograstim) and idarubicin) and an intensive postremission treatment with authorized therapeutic association specialities and with/without Autologous Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation or Bone Marrow Transplantation in Patients With High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes or Secondary Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia.