Anti-Thymocyte Globulin and Etanercept in Treating Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the response rate in patients with low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes treated with anti-thymocyte globulin and etanercept. * Correlate ex vivo and in vitro phenotypic, cytogenetic, and functional disease characteristics with in vivo response in patients treated with this regimen. * Determine parameters that are associated with a high probability of response or non-response in patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive anti-thymocyte globulin IV over 8 hours on days 1-4. Patients also receive etanercept subcutaneously on days 8, 11, 15, and 18. Treatment with etanercept repeats every 28 days for at least 2 courses. Patients exhibiting hematologic improvement after course 2 may receive up to 2 additional courses of etanercept in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with unresponsive disease or disease progression after course 2 are removed from the study and offered other treatment. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 30 patients will be accrued for this study within 3 years.