Active clinical trials for "Preleukemia"

RATIONALE: Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor are rejected by the body's normal cells. Ultraviolet-B light therapy given before and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation may help prevent this from happening. PURPOSE: Clinical trial to study the effectiveness of combining ultraviolet-B light therapy with allogeneic stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic malignancies.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of the combination of all-trans retinoic acid in combination with one of two schedules of Bryostatin 1 in patients with myelodysplasia and acute myelogenous leukemia.

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 determine the effects of the oral iron chelator Deferasirox on liver iron content after one year of treatment in patients with iron overload from repeated blood transfusions. Beta-thalassemia patients unable to be treated with deferoxamine or patients with rare chronic anemias such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Fanconi's Syndrome, Blackfan-Diamond Syndrome, and Pure Red Blood Cell Anemia are eligible for this study. Liver iron content will be measured by liver biopsy at the beginning of the study and after one year of treatment. However, those patients living in the San Francisco/Oakland area may have a SQUID in place of the liver biopsy if the biopsy is not medically possible for them. The SQUID is a non-invasive magnetic means to measure liver iron content.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of MS-275 in treating patients who have 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: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy used to kill tumor cells. Sometimes the transplanted cells are rejected by the body's normal tissues. Drugs such as cyclosporine may prevent this from happening. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have chronic myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

RATIONALE: Paricalcitol is a form of vitamin D that may help myelodysplastic cells develop into normal bone marrow cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of paricalcitol in treating patients who have myelodysplastic syndrome.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies such as daclizumab can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Peripheral stem cell transplantation from a brother or sister may be effective treatment for hematologic cancer. Sometimes the transplanted cells can be rejected by the body's tissue. Mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and donor white blood cells may prevent this from happening. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, daclizumab, and donor peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer.