Comparing Three Different Combination Chemotherapy Regimens in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the complete remission (CR) + cytogenic complete remission (CRc) + morphologic complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) rate of carboplatin and topotecan; flavopiridol, mitoxantrone and cytosine arabinoside and sirolimus, mitoxantrone, etoposide and cytosine arabinoside in adult patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NOTE: Since the CRc patients are required to be either CR or CRi, we only report the rate of CR+CRi in the results section. II. To determine the rate of treatment failure of these regimens. III. To determine the incidence and severity of toxicities of these regimens. IV. To analyze the predictive value of blast cell properties that have been suggested to determine response. (Correlative laboratory studies) V. To determine whether pretreatment levels of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) or, alternatively, whether a therapy-induced change in topoisomerase I levels correlates with response to this regimen. (Correlative laboratory studies) VI. To assess the impact of clonal evolution by comparing cytogenetic abnormalities at the time of relapse with those at initial diagnosis and correlating these abnormalities and changes with response to the treatment regimens in this protocol. (Cytogenetic and fluorescent in situ hybridization \[FISH\] studies) VII. Panel FISH studies for common AML rearrangements will be performed on relapse AML specimens to determine the presence of these recurrent AML abnormalities and to evaluate for subtle additional abnormalities consistent with clonal evolution in these relapse specimens. (Cytogenetic and FISH studies) OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 treatment arms. INDUCTION THERAPY: ARM A: Patients receive carboplatin and topotecan hydrochloride intravenously (IV) continuously over 24 hours on days 1-5. ARM B: Patients receive alvocidib IV over 4.5 hours once daily (QD) on days 1-3, cytarabine IV continuously over 72 hours on days 6-8, and mitoxantrone hydrochloride IV over 1-2 hours on day 9. ARM C: Patients receive sirolimus orally (PO) QD on days 2-9, mitoxantrone hydrochloride IV over 15 minutes QD, etoposide IV over 1 hour QD, and cytarabine IV over 3 hours QD on days 4-8 or 5-9. (Closed to accrual) After completion of induction therapy, patients in all arms undergo bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. Patients with persistent leukemia (i.e., leukemic blasts \>= 10%) are removed from study and are offered alternative therapy at the discretion of the investigator. Patients who achieve CR proceed to consolidation therapy or receive alternative therapy at the discretion of the investigator. CONSOLIDATION THERAPY: Beginning within 2-6 weeks after documentation of CR, patients may receive up to 2 additional courses of the same treatment they received during induction therapy. Courses repeat every 4-10 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed periodically for up to 3 years.