OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose, adverse effects, and toxicities of cordycepin, given 1 hour following a fixed dose of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor pentostatin, in patients with refractory TdT positive leukemia. II. Determine the single and multiple dose pharmacokinetics of cordycepin given 1 hour following a fixed dose of pentostatin. III. Characterize selected whole blood and blast cell metabolic parameters serially in relation to cordycepin/pentostatin administration. IV. Measure and quantify any clinical responses in refractory TdT positive leukemia patients following cordycepin/pentostatin administration.
OUTLINE: This is a dose escalation study. Each treatment course is 28 days in length. On days 1-3 pentostatin is administered over 5 minutes by IV bolus and followed 1 hour later by a 1 hour infusion of cordycepin IV. An escalating dose of pentostatin is given with a fixed dose of cordycepin until the desired level of adenosine deaminase inhibition is observed. After this is determined, a dose escalation schedule for cordycepin is initiated to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) when given in combination with pentostatin. The MTD is determined by the number of patients who exhibit dose limiting toxicity and the severity of the toxicity.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 30 patients will be accrued.
