Arsenic Trioxide in Treating Young Patients With Refractory Leukemia or Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed leukemia or lymphoma refractory to standard curative treatment regimens
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• No meningeal leukemia or lymphoma
• No HIV-related lymphoma
• No lymphoproliferative diseases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 2 to 21
• * Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients (stratum I) must be age 2 to 12
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• Not specified
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin normal
• SGPT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
• No significant hepatic dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
• Renal:
• Creatinine normal (age adjusted) OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• Potassium, magnesium, and calcium at least lower limit of normal (oral or IV supplementation allowed)
• No significant renal dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
• Cardiovascular:
• Rate corrected QTc interval no greater than 0.48 on EKG
• No significant cardiac dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
• No cardiac disease, including dysrhythmias
• Pulmonary:
• No significant pulmonary dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No persistent grade 3 or greater sensory or motor neuropathy
• No prior grand mal seizures (grade 3 or greater) within the past 2 years other than febrile seizures (except for patients with APL at discretion of investigator)
• No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness that would preclude study therapy (e.g., serious infection)
• HIV negative
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• At least 1 week since prior colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\], sargramostim \[GM-CSF\], and epoetin alfa)
• No concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy:
• No prior arsenic trioxide
• At least 2 weeks since prior chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No concurrent intrathecal chemotherapy except for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients experiencing progressive meningeal leukemia and demonstrating benefit from arsenic trioxide for systemic disease
• No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• No concurrent steroids (except corticosteroids for retinoic acid syndrome)
• Radiotherapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• At least 6 months since prior anticonvulsants
• At least 1 week since prior retinoid therapy
• No concurrent retinoids
• No other concurrent investigational agents