Allogeneic Cell Therapy for Adults With Hematologic Malignancies

This is a research study involving the treatment of leukemia or lymphoma (lymph gland cancer) in adults who have leukemia or lymphoma that is unlikely to be cured with regular anticancer drugs or radiation treatments. Intensive treatment with high doses of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from an HLA-(tissue-type) matched related donor would provide the best chance for cure of this leukemia or lymphoma. However, the success of BMT from relatives is limited in patients who are older than 50 years and/or have organ dysfunction by substantial complications due to the high dose chemotherapy related toxicity, graft-versus- host disease (GVHD), and relapse. Patients eligible for this study have an HLA matched sibling, but a BMT from the sibling would carry a high risk for severe side effects due to the patient's age, and/or organ dysfunction. Researchers are evaluating a new treatment for adult patients with leukemia and lymphoma which involves regular dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplantation from an HLA-matched relative, with injections of donor immune cells (a type of white blood cells) given if you later relapse. In this study, the safety and feasibility of this treatment strategy are being investigated.