Active clinical trials for "Preleukemia"

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as alemtuzumab, can find cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Giving chemotherapy drugs, such as busulfan and cyclophosphamide, before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer 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 tacrolimus and methotrexate after the transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the best dose of alemtuzumab when given together with busulfan and cyclophosphamide followed by a donor stem cell transplant and to see how well it works in treating patients with hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy and total-body irradiation before a donor umbilical cord blood transplant helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells and 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 tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil before and after transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: To look at the ability of umbilical cord blood cells from one or two unrelated donors to serve as a source of stem cells for people needing a bone marrow transplant.

The goal of this clinical research study is to find the highest tolerable dose of OPB-31121 that can be given to patients with leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

This is a prospective, multicenter phase II trial designed to evaluate the safety and activity of the combination of association of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and ascorbic acid in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

A Phase I, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Study of CC-11006 In Subjects With Low- or Intermediate-1 Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of sorafenib in patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Eligible subjects will receive Sorafenib administered at 400mg orally twice a day, given on days 1-28 of a 28-day cycle. Patients will be evaluated for hematological response after 2 cycles and then every 3 cycles thereafter for a maximum of 5 years from study entry. If a patient achieves a complete response they may receive an additional 6 cycles of therapy beyond documentation of complete response unless unacceptable toxicity occurs. For patients with partial response, hematological improvement or stable disease they will continue treatment until relapse, progression of disease, or unacceptable toxicity occurs.

Patients are being asked to participate in this study because they have a malignant blood disease such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Myeloproliferative Disorder (MPD), Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) or Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). We feel that patients could benefit from an allogeneic (meaning the cells come from a donor other than themself) stem cell transplant. The donor would be a family member or an unrelated person that is felt to be a good match for the patient. Stem cells are cells that are made in the bone marrow (spongy material that fills the middle of the bones). As the stem cells grow, they change into different types of blood cells that they need. This includes red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body, white blood cells that help to fight infections, and platelets that help to prevent and stop bleeding. Usually, patients are given high doses of chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant. High doses of chemo destroy the bone marrow. Healthy stem cells from a donor are then given to replace the patient's unhealthy cells. However, because of complications with the patient's disease, they have a high risk of having life-threatening side effects. These include serious damage to organs such as the lung, liver, kidney and heart. There is also an increased risk of bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. The other major problem is when a donor's stem cells (also called the graft) find that the patient's cells ( the host cells) are not the same. The donor cells may try to destroy the host's cells. The cells at high risk are those of the skin, liver and intestines. This is called graft versus host disease (GVHD) and it can be fatal. Recently, doctors have been able to use less toxic chemotherapy treatments before patients receive their transplants. This less toxic treatment helps reduce some of the treatment related problems mentioned above. Patient's are being asked to be involved in a research study that uses this approach. One major risk of this low dose treatment is that the patient's body may reject the donor cells. This is called graft rejection. This study is designed to see if this low dose treatment is safe and effective. This treatment plan adds CAMPATH 1H (a special protein called an antibody) to a low dose chemotherapy regimen. After chemo, the patient will receive an allogeneic (cells come from a donor) stem cell transplant. Adding CAMPATH 1H to the transplant medicines may help in treating the disease. CAMPATH 1H may reduce life-threatening and treatment related side effects like GVHD. CAMPATH 1H stays active in the body for a long time which means it may work longer to prevent GVHD. CAMPATH 1H destroys lymphocytes, a type of white cells that help fight infection, and this helps prevent graft rejection. We want to see if the addition of CAMPATH 1H to the patient's pre-transplant low dose chemotherapy will decrease the side effects from an allogeneic stem cell transplant, while providing a curative treatment for patients with blood disorders.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Tretinoin may help hematologic cancer cells develop into normal white blood cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of arsenic trioxide with or without tretinoin in treating patients who have hematologic cancer that has not responded to previous therapy.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in treating patients with hematologic cancer or bone marrow disorder that has not responded to previous treatment.

RATIONALE: Bone marrow transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to kill tumor cells. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Eliminating the T cells from the donor cells before transplanting them may prevent this from happening. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of T cell removal to prevent graft-versus-host disease in patients who are undergoing bone marrow transplantation from a donor.