Sorafenib in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the dose-limiting toxicity(s) (DLTs) and maximally tolerated dose (MTD) of BAY 43-9006 given orally. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To obtain preliminary evidence of tumor response to BAY 43-9006 in patients. II. To assess the pharmacokinetic profile of BAY 43-9006. III. To characterize the preliminary profile of adverse events and changes in laboratory parameters in patients treated with BAY 43-9006. IV. To assess effects of BAY 43-9006 on various cellular properties of leukemic blasts exposed to drug in vivo and in vitro. OUTLINE: This is an open-label, dose-escalation study. Patients receive oral sorafenib twice daily on days 1-14 or 1-21. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients achieving a complete remission (CR) may be considered for retreatment with sorafenib for up to an additional 6 courses upon disease recurrence provided the duration of CR is longer than 1 month. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of sorafenib until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. A total of 12 patients are treated at the MTD. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed monthly for up to 1 year.