Active clinical trials for "Preleukemia"

RATIONALE: Photopheresis treats the patient's blood with drugs and ultraviolet light outside the body and kills the white blood cells. Giving photopheresis, pentostatin, and radiation therapy before a donor bone marrow or stem cell transplant helps stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune system 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 pentostatin before transplant and cyclosporine or mycophenolate mofetil after transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving pentostatin together with photopheresis and total-body irradiation work before donor bone marrow transplant in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

RATIONALE: Chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and thiotepa, and radiation therapy may destroy cancerous blood-forming cells (stem cells) in the blood and bone marrow. Giving healthy stem cells from a donor whose blood closely resembles the patient's blood will help the patient's bone marrow make new stem cells that become red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of total-body irradiation, fludarabine, and thiotepa and to see how well they work in treating young patients who are undergoing a donor stem cell transplant for hematologic cancer.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the hematological response rate, as well as other parameters of efficacy and safety induced by tipifarnib in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Tipifarnib belongs to a class of drugs called Farnesyl Transferase Inhibitors (FTI). It blocks proteins that make cancer cells grow.

The primary objective of the study is to determine the efficacy of thalidomide for the treatment of anemia in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

RATIONALE: Biological therapies, such as cellular adoptive immunotherapy, stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop cancer cells from growing. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of cellular adoptive immunotherapy in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes that relapsed after donor stem cell transplant.

Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of XK469R in treating patients who have refractory hematologic cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such XK469R, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die

This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of tipifarnib when given with idarubicin and cytarabine and to see how well it works in treating patients with newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as idarubicin and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Tipifarnib (Zarnestra) may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Giving idarubicin and cytarabine with tipifarnib may kill more cancer cells.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as arsenic trioxide, work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Biological therapies such as etanercept may interfere with the growth of the cancer cells. Combining chemotherapy with biological therapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of giving arsenic trioxide together with etanercept and to see how well it works in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

This randomized phase III trial studies tipifarnib in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission. Tipifarnib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. It is not yet known whether tipifarnib is more effective than observation alone in preventing the recurrence of AML.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of oral SCIO-469 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. SCIO-469 belongs to a new class of treatments that inhibit expression and activity of cytokines that play a role in the progression of MDS.