Vorinostat, Tacrolimus, and Methotrexate in Preventing GVHD After Stem Cell Transplant in Patients With Hematological Malignancies

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess the safety and the feasibility of the addition of vorinostat to tacrolimus and methotrexate GVHD prophylaxis. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine day 100 grades 2-4 acute GVHD. II. To determine 1-year overall survival and relapse-free survival. III. To correlate plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers of acute GVHD. IV. To correlate protein acetylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after administration of vorinostat. OUTLINE: Patients receive vorinostat orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days -10 to 100. Beginning on day -3, patients receive tacrolimus intravenously (IV) continuously or PO BID (or cyclosporine IV continuously or PO in patients unable to tolerate tacrolimus) with taper on days 100-180.Patients also receive methotrexate IV once daily (QD) on days 1, 3, 6, and 11. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically for 1 year.