Vaccine Therapy and GM-CSF in Treating Patients With Low-Risk or Intermediate-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To determine the immunologic response, using a PR1-HLA-A2 tetramer assay, to 4 subcutaneous injections of PR1 leukemia peptide vaccine formulated in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) followed by sargramostim (GM-CSF) in patients with low- and intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Secondary * To determine if non-immunologic responders to 4 subcutaneous injections of PR1 leukemia peptide vaccine formulated in IFA followed by GM-CSF can be converted to immunologic responders by administering 4 additional doses of this treatment. * To determine the clinical response to 4 or 8 subcutaneous injections of this vaccine. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients will receive proteinase PR1 leukemia peptide vaccine (TVC-PR1) conjugated with incomplete Freund's adjuvant administered subcutaneously with sargramostim (GM-CSF). Patients will receive a series of four vaccinations at 3-week intervals. Non-immunologic responders after 4 doses of vaccine are eligible to receive 4 additional doses of TVC-PR1 vaccine with the same dose and same dosing intervals. Patients who mount an immunologic response after 4 doses will not receive additional doses of TVC-PR1 vaccine. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed monthly for up to 6 months.