Active clinical trials for "Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive"

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy drugs, such as fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, and total-body irradiation before a donor umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells and prepares the patient's bone marrow for the 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. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving fludarabine and cyclophosphamide together with total-body irradiation works in treating patients who are undergoing an umbilical cord blood transplant for hematologic cancer.

Bone marrow stem cell transplants (otherwise called bone marrow transplants) from healthy donors are sometimes the only means of curing hematological malignant diseases such as acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative diseases and lymphomas. Before transplant the patient receives chemotherapy and radiation treatment to reduce the malignancy to low levels and to prevent rejection of the transplant. The transplant restores the blood counts to normal and replaces the patients immunity with that of the donor. The donors immune cells increase the effect of the transplant by attacking remaining malignant cells. Donor immune cells (especially those called T lymphocytes) also attack healthy non-cancerous cells and tissues of the recipient causing "graft-versus-host-disease" (GVHD). Strong GVHD reactions occurring within weeks after the transplant can be life-threatening . In this study we remove most of the T lymphocytes from the transplant to minimize the risk of GVHD. However to improve immunity against residual malignant cells and boost immunity to infections, donor T cells (stored frozen at time of transplant) are given back around 90 days after the transplant when they have a reduced risk of causing serious GVHD. Any patient between 10 and 75 years of age with acute or chronic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative syndromes or lymphoma, who have a family member who is a suitable stem cell donor may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and various tests and examinations.

This randomized phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vorinostat when given together with idarubicin in treating patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vorinostat and idarubicin, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Vorinostat may also stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving vorinostat together with idarubicin may kill more cancer cells.

RATIONALE: Dasatinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of dasatinib in treating patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

This is a phase III study of BMS-354825 in subjects with chronic myelogenous leukemia in accelerated phase, or in myeloid or lymphoid blast phase or with Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia who are resistant or intolerant to imatinib mesylate (Gleevec).

Vaccines made from peptides that are found on leukemia cells may make the body build an immune response and kill cancer cells. Combining vaccine therapy with the immune adjuvant Montanide ISA-51 may be a more effective treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndrome. This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vaccine therapy when given with Montanide ISA-51 and to see how well they work in treating patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndrome

RATIONALE: Interferon alfa may interfere with the growth of cancer cells. Imatinib mesylate may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. Combining interferon alfa with imatinib mesylate may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining interferon alfa with imatinib mesylate in treating patients who have chronic myelogenous leukemia.

The goal of this clinical research study is to see if Gleevec, known as imatinib mesylate (STI571), can improve the disease condition in patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome, polycythemia vera, atypical CML or CMML with PDGF-R fusion genes, or mastocytosis.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of paclitaxel in treating patients with refractory or recurrent acute leukemia or chronic myelogenous leukemia.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining biological therapy with chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy with cytarabine and homoharringtonine and biological therapy with interferon alfa in treating patients with chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia.