Active clinical trials for "Myeloproliferative Disorders"

RATIONALE: Giving low doses of chemotherapy before a donor stem cell transplant using stem cells that closely match the patient's stem cells, helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It also stops 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 make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving antilymphocyte globulin before transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well fludarabine, busulfan, and antilymphocyte globulin together with donor stem cell transplant works in treating older patients with hematological cancer.

The primary objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of performing unrelated stem cell transplants using intravenous busulfan and fludarabine as preparative therapy and tacrolimus plus methotrexate as the GVHD prophylaxis regimen. The goal is to demonstrate safety, aiming for a transplant related mortality rate (TRM) of < or equal to 40% at 100 days. A TRM of > or equal to 60% will be considered unacceptable. Another goal is to demonstrate efficacy by showing and overall survival of >40% at 1-year following transplant.

This phase II trial is studying how well giving MS-275 together with GM-CSF works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and/or relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. MS-275 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. Colony-stimulating factors, such as GM-CSF, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood. Giving MS-275 together with GM-CSF may be an effective treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia

RATIONALE: Bexarotene may help cancer or abnormal cells become more like normal cells, and to grow and spread more slowly. Colony-stimulating factors, such as GM-CSF, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood. Giving bexarotene together with GM-CSF may be an effective treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving bexarotene together with GM-CSF works in treating patients with MDS or acute myeloid leukemia.

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and busulfan, before a donor peripheral stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer or abnormal 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. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving a monoclonal antibody, alemtuzumab, before the transplant and tacrolimus after the transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: The phase I portion of this trial identified the maximum tolerated dose of busulfan after treating 40 patients on a dose-escalation scheme. We are now treating an additional 26 patients on the phase II portion of the trial at a Pharmacokinetic (PK)-directed dose of total area under curve (AUC) 6912 micrometer (uM)-min/24 hours. We transitioned to the Phase II portion of the study in October 2009.

RATIONALE: Giving thalidomide together with prednisone and cyclophosphamide may lessen symptoms caused by myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving thalidomide together with prednisone and cyclophosphamide works in treating patients with myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of pomalidomide after combination chemotherapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cytarabine, daunorubicin hydrochloride, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Pomalidomide may kill cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the cancer and by stimulating white blood cells to kill cancer cells. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) and pomalidomide may kill more cancer cells.

The aim of this phase II study is to test a novel concept in the treatment of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), a disease of the bone marrow. With no current cure available, MPN are a group of chronic leukemias (blood cancers) in which patients produce too many blood cells. These increased blood cell numbers cause problems to the patient such as bleedings or thrombosis and some patients may progress to acute leukemia, a life threatening condition. Most MPN patients have a gene mutation called JAK2-V617F. The disease is maintained by mutant MPN stem cells that reside in the bone marrow in specialized locations called "niches". These niches need connections to the nervous system. New findings show that these connections are destroyed by the presence of the mutated MPN stem cells. Research teams found that some drugs (beta3-sympathicomimetics) can restore these damaged niches and at the same time reduce the MPN disease manifestation in a mouse model of MPN. Such sympathicomimetic drugs are already being used to treat patients with asthma or hyperactive bladder. These drugs have shown to have only few side effects. The study tests the effects of the beta-3-sympathicomimetic drug Mirabegron (Betmiga®) on MPN disease in 39 patients that carry a JAK2-V617F mutation. The hypothesis is that Mirabegron will have a beneficial effect on bone marrow niche cells and will thereby improve the disease manifestation in MPN patients. This study should provide a rapid answer whether targeting the nervous system of the niche cells could be useful for patients with MPN and warrants to be tested in larger and more long-term studies.

A number of groups have demonstrated very low incidence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in haploidentical and unrelated allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Still the relapse of the underlining malignancy is a problem after this prophylaxis. Ruxolitinib is currently one of the most promising drugs in the treatment of steroid-refractory GVHD. On the other hand, its primary indication is myelofibrosis, and it was demonstrated that ruxolitinib before allogeneic SCT might improve the outcome. This pilot trial evaluates whether the combination of PTCy and ruxolitinib facilitates adequate GVHD control, and decreases the risk of graft failure and disease progression in myelofibrosis patients.

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