Pentostatin in Treating Patients With Refractory Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the response rate in patients with refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease treated with pentostatin. Secondary * Determine the time to next immunosuppressive agent (i.e., the time to progression from best response) in patients treated with this drug. * Determine the toxicity of this drug in these patients. * Determine the infection rate in patients treated with this drug. * Determine the pharmacokinetics of this drug in these patients. * Determine the changes in lymphocyte populations in patients treated with this drug. * Determine the survival of patients treated with this drug. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive pentostatin IV over 20-30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who achieve a complete response after 6 courses receive 4 additional courses. Patients who achieve a partial response, minor response, or stable disease after 6 courses may receive up to 6 additional courses. Patients are followed every 4 weeks for 1 year, every 3 months for 2 years, and then annually for 5 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 37 patients will be accrued for this study.