PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:~I. To assess the clinical activity of canakinumab in patients with low or intermediate-1 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).~SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:~I. To study the safety profile of canakinumab in patients with low or intermediate-1 MDS or CMML.~II. Rate of transfusion independence. III. Duration of response. IV. Progression-free survival (PFS), leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS).~EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:~I. Correlative studies (pharmacodynamic [PD] parameters of canakinumab).~OUTLINE:~Patients receive canakinumab subcutaneously (SC) on day 1. Cycles repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.~After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days and then every 6 months thereafter.
This phase II trial studies how well canakinumab works for the treatment of low- or intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Canakinumab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread.