RATIONALE: Studying natural killer cells in samples of blood from patients with cancer may help doctors find out how these cells are effected by chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying natural killer cells in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Determine the evolution of functional receptors of natural killer (NK) cells after completion of chemotherapy in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first remission.

Secondary

• Measure the kinetics of cytotoxic functional recovery of NK cells.
• Determine activation markers of NK cells.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Patients receive 1 course of consolidation therapy comprising an anthracycline and cytarabine to induce first remission.

Blood is collected on day 0 of the consolidation course and then every 2 weeks for 8 weeks.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia

  • No promyelocytic leukemia
  • No prior therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Hemoglobin > 10 g/dL

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics