Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Pathologically confirmed myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including any of the following:
• •* Refractory anemia (RA)
• •* RA with ringed sideroblasts
• •* Refractory cytopenias with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD)
• •* RCMD with ringed sideroblasts
• •* RA with excess blasts 1 (5-9% blasts)
• •* RA with excess blasts 2 (10-19% blasts)
• •Must have poor-risk MDS, defined by the following:
• •* At least 2 lineages involved
• •* Unfavorable cytogenetics (i.e., abnormalities of chromosome 5 or 7, 11q23, t\[6;9\], trisomy 8, inv3, or multiple/complex karyotype)
• •* Transfusion requirement of \> 2 units of packed red blood cells monthly
• •No chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
• •No transformation to acute myeloid leukemia
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •ECOG performance status 0-2
• •Creatinine \< 2.5 mg/dL
• •Bilirubin \< 2.5 mg/dL (unless due to Gilbert's syndrome)
• •Room air oxygen saturation ≥ 94% at rest
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •No other malignancy within the past 5 years except in situ cervical cancer or adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer
• •No active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease requiring systemic immunosuppressants including, but not limited to, any of the following:
• •* Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
• •* Idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura
• •* Inflammatory bowel disease
• •* Vasculitis
• •* Thyroiditis
• •* Rheumatic illnesses
• •No known HIV serum antibody positivity
• •No other disease requiring long-term corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants, such as severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •At least 2 weeks since prior systemic corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants (e.g., cyclosporine, azathioprine, tacrolimus, or mycophenolate mofetil)
• •At least 3 weeks since prior growth factors
• •At least 2 months since prior azacitidine for MDS
• •No prior bone marrow or other organ transplantation
• •No concurrent cytotoxic-based therapy for MDS
• •No other concurrent growth factors, including epoetin alfa, filgrastim (G-CSF), or sargramostim (GM-CSF)