STI571 in Treating Patients With Recurrent Leukemia

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Recurrent Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive leukemia
• * Recurrent or refractory acute lymphoblastic or myeloblastic leukemia OR
• * Chronic myelogenous leukemia with resistance to interferon alfa with any of the following:
• * WBC at least 20,000/mm\^3 after at least 3 months of interferon therapy
• * At least 100% increase in WBC to at least 20,000/mm\^3 confirmed over 2 weeks while receiving interferon alfa
• * At least 66% Ph chromosome-positive cells after 1 year of interferon therapy
• * At least 30% increase in number of Ph chromosome-positive cells after an interferon-induced response while continuing interferon therapy
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• Under 22
• Performance status:
• Karnofsky 50-100% if over 10 years of age OR
• Lansky 50-100% if 10 years of age and under
• Life expectancy:
• At least 8 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal
• SGPT less than 3 times normal
• Albumin greater than 2 g/dL
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times normal OR
• Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate at least 70 mL/min
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• If prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation, no uncontrolled graft-versus -host disease
• No seizure disorder if on anticonvulsants
• No uncontrolled infection
• No CNS toxicity greater than grade 2
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 1 week since prior biologic therapy and recovered
• At least 3 months since prior stem cell transplantation (SCT)
• At least 1 week since prior growth factors
• At least 1 week since prior interferon alfa
• Chemotherapy:
• Recovered from prior chemotherapy
• At least 6 weeks since prior busulfan and nitrosoureas
• At least 2 weeks since prior homoharringtonine
• At least 1 week since low-dose cytarabine
• At least 2 weeks since prior moderate-dose cytarabine
• At least 4 weeks since prior high-dose cytarabine
• At least 3 weeks since all other prior cytotoxic chemotherapies
• No prior hydroxyurea
• Endocrine therapy:
• Must be on a stable dose of steroids if received prior allogeneic SCT
• Radiotherapy:
• Recovered from prior radiotherapy
• At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiotherapy (small port)
• At least 6 months since prior craniospinal radiotherapy
• At least 6 months since prior radiotherapy to 50% or more of the pelvis
• At least 6 weeks since other prior substantial bone marrow radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent anticonvulsants