The study was closed due to poor enrollment

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as azacitidine and arsenic trioxide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of azacitidine when given together with arsenic trioxide and to see how well they work in treating patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Determine the maximum tolerated dose of azacitidine when given in combination with arsenic trioxide in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). (Phase I)
• Determine the safety and tolerability of this regimen in these patients. (Phase I)
• Determine the major hematologic response (erythroid response) rate in patients with transfusion-dependent lower-risk MDS treated with this regimen. (Phase II)
• Determine complete and partial remission rates in patients with higher-risk MDS treated with this regimen. (Phase II)
• Determine the toxicity profile of this regimen in these patients. (Phase I)

Secondary

• Determine time to disease progression in patients treated with this regimen. (Phase I and II)
• Determine the overall and progression-free survival of patients treated with this regimen. (Phase I and II)

OUTLINE: This is an multicenter, open-label, phase I, dose escalation study of azacitidine followed by a phase II study. Patients enrolled in the phase II portion are stratified according to baseline International Scoring System score (lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes [MDS] vs higher-risk MDS).

• Phase I: Patients receive azacitidine subcutaneously once daily on days 1-5 and arsenic trioxide IV over 1-4 hours on days 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, and 25. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with stable disease may receive up to 8 courses of therapy. Patients with responding disease may continue to receive study therapy until a major response or a complete remission is achieved.

Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of azacitidine until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.

• Phase II: Patients receive arsenic trioxide as in phase I and azacitidine as in phase I at one dose level below the MTD determined in phase I.

After the completion of study treatment, patients are followed at 4 weeks and then every 3-12 months for survival.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 3-18 patients will be accrued for the phase I portion of this study. A total of 60 patients (30 per stratum) will be accrued for the phase II portion of this study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed diagnosis of MDS by standard criteria. Patients within each of the FAB diagnostic groups of RA, RARS, RAEB, RAEBt, and CMML are eligible. For patients with lower-risk MDS only: documented red blood cell dependence, defined as the inability to maintain a hematocrit of > 25% without transfusion support.
• Adequate marrow iron stores
• In patients with serum erythropoietin less than 200 IU/mL at screening, failure to have responded to a 2 to 3 month trial of recombinant erythropoietin
• Serum creatinine or serum bilirubin < 1.5 times the upper limit of normal; higher levels are acceptable if ALT levels < 2 x upper limits of normal
• Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test prior to azacitidine/treatment.
• Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant and should be advised to not father a child while receiving treatment with azacitidine
• Age > 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Treatment with growth factors within the 30 days before first treatment with ATO/Azacitidine, except that patients with serum erythropoietin < 200 IU/mL who failed to respond to a trial with EPO are not excluded regardless of the time since last EPO
• Treatment with cytotoxic or experimental agents within 30 days before first treatment with ATO/Azacitidine
• Absolute QT interval > 460 msec in the presence of adequate serum potassium and magnesium values
• Active serious infections that are not controlled by antibiotics
• Pregnant or lactating women
• Inability or unwillingness to comply with the treatment protocol, follow-up, or research tests
• NYHA Class III or IV heart failure
• Poorly controlled hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or other serious medical or psychiatric illness that could potentially interfere with the completion of treatment according to this protocol