Active clinical trials for "Preleukemia"

This clinical trial studies fludarabine phosphate and total-body radiation followed by donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant and immunosuppression in treating patients with hematologic malignancies. Giving chemotherapy and total-body irradiation before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It may also 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 total-body irradiation together with fludarabine phosphate, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil before transplant may stop this from happening.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of busulfan and melphalan followed by donor bone marrow transplantation in treating patients who have advanced hematologic cancer.

Randomized phase I trial to study the effectiveness of tipifarnib in treating patients who have advanced hematologic cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one chemotherapy drug may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of phenylbutyrate plus azacitidine in treating patients who have acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplasia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, non-small cell lung cancer, or prostate cancer.

RATIONALE: Bone marrow transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy used to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Colony-stimulating factors such as filgrastim may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help a person's immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy with filgrastim and/or tretinoin is more effective than combination chemotherapy alone for acute myeloid leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying combination chemotherapy with filgrastim and/or tretinoin to see how well they work compared to combination chemotherapy alone in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the effectiveness of moderate dose cyclophosphamide and radiotherapy in terms of improving survival and reducing the morbidity following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemia related to Fanconi's anemia.

This study will determine the safety and effectiveness of a combination of the immune-suppressing drugs antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine for treating myelodysplasia, a disorder of low blood cell counts. It will: evaluate whether this drug combination can increase blood counts in patients and reduce their need for transfusions; compare survival of patients who respond to ATG and cyclosporine treatment with those who do not respond; and determine the side effects of the treatment. Myelodysplasia is thought to result from an immune system abnormality in which cells called lymphocytes attack the marrow's blood-forming cells. The resulting deficiencies of platelets and red and white blood cells cause anemia, susceptibility to infections, and easy bruising and bleeding. Various therapies, such as blood transfusions for anemia and bleeding, antibiotics for infection, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation are used to treat myelodysplasia, but all have disadvantages and some carry serious risks. Patients 18 years of age and older with myelodysplasia may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a physical examination and medical history, blood tests, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and bone marrow biopsy (removal of a marrow sample from the hipbone for microscopic examination).

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of fludarabine, carboplatin, and topotecan in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory acute leukemia or advanced myelodysplastic syndrome.

Cancers of the blood, sometimes referred to as hematologic malignancies, are disorders of bone marrow cells that lead to the failure of the normal function of bone marrow and the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells in the bone marrow. These cancerous cells can spill over into the bloodstream and affect other organs causing widespread symptoms. The disease is life threatening because it blocks the normal function of the marrow, which is to produce red cells (preventing anemia), white cells (preventing infection), and platelets (preventing progression). Bone marrow transplants are a potential form of therapy for patients with hematologic malignancies. However, BMT is a complicated procedure and can be associated with dangerous side effects. In this study researchers are attempting to find ways to reduce the complications of BMT, so that it would be possible to use it more safely and can be offered more patients. In order to do this, researchers are developing new techniques to make BMT safer. It requires making small changes to the standard procedure, which may improve the outcome. The experimental procedures researchers are evaluating are: <TAB>T-cell depleted peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplantation <TAB> Cyclosporine given immediately after the transplant <TAB>Add-back of donor lymphocytes Patients undergoing these experimental techniques must be monitored closely to see if any benefit or harmful effects will occur. Information gathered from this study can be used to develop further research studies and potential new therapies for hematologic malignancies.