Temozolomide in Treating Young Patients With Refractory or Recurrent Leukemia

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed leukemia of any of the following types:
• * Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• * Acute myeloid leukemia
• * Chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis
• Refractory or recurrent disease
• Immunophenotypic confirmation of disease at initial diagnosis or recurrence
• More than 25% blasts in the bone marrow (M3)
• Active extramedullary disease allowed except for leptomeningeal disease
• No known curative therapy or therapy proven to prolong survival with an acceptable quality of life
• No active CNS disease
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 1 to 21
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 50-100% (for patients \> 10 years of age)
• Lansky 50-100% (for patients ≤ 10 years of age)
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• WBC \< 30,000/mm\^3 (hydroxyurea or leukapheresis allowed at the discretion of the principal investigator)
• Platelet count ≥ 20,000/mm\^3 (platelet transfusions allowed)
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (red blood cell transfusions allowed)
• Hepatic
• ALT ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Albumin ≥ 2 g/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine normal for age OR
• Creatinine clearance OR radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No uncontrolled infection
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 7 days since prior biologic therapy, including immunotherapy
• At least 3 months since prior stem cell transplantation
• * No evidence of active graft-vs-host disease
• No concurrent biologic therapy
• No concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Recovered from prior chemotherapy
• At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas
• Prior therapy with hydroxyurea allowed for up to 24 hours before initiation of study drug
• No other concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Concurrent hydrocortisone or other corticosteroids allowed as premedications prior to blood product transfusions in patients with prior severe allergic reactions
• Radiotherapy
• Recovered from prior radiotherapy
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• No other concurrent anticancer agents
• No other concurrent investigational drugs