Phenylbutyrate, Dexamethasone, and Sargramostim in Treating Patients With Refractory or Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• * Failed standard induction chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation (SCT) OR
• * Relapsed after standard induction chemotherapy or SCT OR
• * Refused or not a candidate for SCT or matched allogeneic sibling bone marrow transplantation or donor lymphocyte infusion OR
• * Refused of not a candidate for autologous SCT or bone marrow transplantation
• No CNS leukemia
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 7 days
• Hematopoietic:
• Not specified
• Hepatic:
• AST or ALT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin no greater than 3 times ULN
• No hepatic disease that would preclude study
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 2 mg/dL
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• No renal disease that would preclude study
• Cardiovascular:
• No cardiac disease that would preclude study
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No myocardial infarction within past 8 weeks
• Other:
• No active infection except cystitis
• Not pregnant or nursing
• No altered mental status or seizure disorder
• No other serious disease that would preclude study
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• Not specified
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• At least 3 weeks since prior investigational antineoplastic drugs