OBJECTIVES:~I. Determine the maximum tolerated dose of 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) (tanespimycin) when administered with cytarabine in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, or high-grade myelodysplastic syndromes.~II. Determine the toxic effects of this regimen in these patients. III. Determine, preliminarily, the activity of this regimen in these patients. IV. Correlate the pharmacokinetics of this regimen with cytochrome p450 3A5 genotype in these patients.~V. Determine the effect of this regimen on client proteins in vivo and ex vivo using leukemic blasts from patients treated with this regimen.~OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, dose-escalation study of tanespimycin.~Patients receive induction therapy comprising cytarabine intravenously (IV) continuously on days 1-5 and tanespimycin IV over 1 hour on days 3 and 6.~Patients achieving a morphologic complete response with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) or partial response may be eligible to receive a second induction course of therapy after day 21 at the discretion of the principal investigator. Patients achieving a complete response (CR) receive up to 4 courses of consolidation therapy with cytarabine and tanespimycin. Consolidation therapy repeats approximately every 60 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who achieve CR and remain in remission for ≥ 6 months may be retreated with cytarabine and tanespimycin (at the current dose level or the maximum tolerated dose [MTD]) at the time of relapse. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of tanespimycin until the MTD is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Patients are followed at 3 months.
This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of tanespimycin when given with cytarabine in treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as tanespimycin and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Tanespimycin may also help cytarabine kill more cancer cells by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drug. Giving tanespimycin together with cytarabine may kill more cancer cells.