Active clinical trials for "Preleukemia"

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy, such as clofarabine, melphalan, and thiotepa, before a donor 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 also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil before the transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of clofarabine when given together with melphalan and thiotepa, followed by a donor stem cell transplant and to see how well it works in treating patients with high-risk and/or advanced hematologic cancer or other disease.

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.

The goal of this clinical research study is to find the best dose of clofarabine and fludarabine that can be given with busulfan followed by an allogeneic blood stem cell transplant. Researchers will study whether this combination can help to control the disease, and look at the safety of this combination. Researchers also want to find out if combining busulfan with clofarabine alone or combining busulfan with both fludarabine and clofarabine will improve the treatment, compared with the previous standard method using busulfan and fludarabine alone.

The different mechanisms of action between Antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine can improve the effectivity when both are used in combination in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome.

This phase II trial studies how well total-body irradiation (TBI) works when given together with fludarabine phosphate and cyclophosphamide followed by donor bone marrow transplant, mycophenolate mofetil, and cyclosporine in treating patients with Fanconi anemia (FA). Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine phosphate and cyclophosphamide, and TBI before or after a donor bone marrow transplant helps stop the growth of abnormal 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 mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine after the transplant may stop this from happening.

The goal of this clinical research study is to find out if decitabine, given with or without valproic acid, can help to control AML or MDS. The safety of both treatments will also be studied.

This study will determine the safety and effectiveness of an experimental vaccine in controlling the abnormal growth of cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS, also known as myelodysplasia), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It will test whether the vaccine can increase the number of immune cells responding to the cancer and thereby slow progression of the illness, improve blood counts, reduce the need for transfusions of blood and platelets, or even achieve a disease remission. The vaccine contains part of a protein that is produced in large amounts by cells of patients with these cancers and an added substance called Montanide that helps the immune system respond to the vaccine. Sargramostim, another substances that boosts the immune response, is also given. Patients 18 to 85 years of age with MDS, AML, ALL or CML may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, chest x-ray and bone marrow biopsy. Women of childbearing age also have a pregnancy test. Participants undergo the following: Chemotherapy entering the study. Leukapheresis to collect large amounts of white blood cells for infusion before vaccine administration. Participants may need placement of a central line (plastic tube, or catheter) in the upper part of the chest to be used for giving chemotherapy, blood or platelet transfusions, antibiotics and white blood cells, and for collecting blood samples. Weekly vaccine injections for nine weeks, given in the upper arm, upper leg or abdomen. Sargramostim injections following each vaccination. Standard of care treatment for MDS, AML, ALL or CML, which may include blood or platelet transfusions, growth factors, and drugs to control underlying disease and potential side effects of the vaccine. Weekly safety monitoring, including vital signs check, brief health assessment, blood tests and observation after the vaccination, on the day of each vaccination. Follow-up evaluations with blood tests and chest x-ray 3 weeks after the last vaccine dose and with blood tests and bone marrow biopsy 7 weeks after the last vaccine dose.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of iron chelation using deferasirox in low and INT-1 risk (referring to the international prognostic scoring system, IPSS) MDS patients who show signs of iron overload due to repeated blood transfusions. This trial is not recruiting patients in the United States.

A phase I/II study to explore the feasibility and efficacy of autologous CIK cells in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)/ high grade myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) Group 1: As adjuvant therapy in minimal residual disease state after autologous PBSCT. Group 2: As an adoptive immunotherapy in untreated disease state when conventional therapy with curative intent is not applicable

The primary endpoint of this study is to estimate morphologic complete remission rate. Estimation of response rate is also a secondary objection.