Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
* Diagnosis of 1 of the following:
* Histologically or morphologically confirmed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), meeting 1 of the following criteria:
* Relapsed or refractory AML after treatment with ≥ 1 prior conventional induction therapy
* Patients in early first relapse must not have a matched donor available and/or be ineligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation
* Poor-risk AML, as defined by any of the following criteria:
* Treatment-related AML, unless associated with favorable cytogenetics (e.g., inversion 16, t\[16;16\], t\[8;21\], t\[15;17\]), and ineligible for stem cell transplantation
* Antecedent hematological disease (e.g., myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, or polycythemia vera) that evolved to AML (≥ 20% blasts) and ineligible for stem cell transplantation
* De novo AML (must be \> 70 years of age)
* AML with unfavorable cytogenetics (e.g., abnormalities of chromosomes -7, -5, 7q-, or 5q-; complex \[≥ 3\] abnormalities; or abnormalities of 11q23, excluding t\[9;11\], t\[9;22\], inversion 3, t\[3;3\], and t\[6;9\]), regardless of age, and ineligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation
* High-risk myelodysplastic syndromes diagnosed by morphologic, histochemical, or cell surface marker criteria
* Resistant or intolerant to chemotherapy
* Ineligible for or unwilling to undergo immediate allogeneic stem cell transplantation
* Bone marrow index (i.e., percent cellularity × percent blasts) ≤ 40% at time of treatment
* No active CNS leukemia
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
* ALT and AST \< 2.5 times upper limit of normal
* Albumin ≥ 3 mg/dL
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
* LVEF ≥ 50%
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 2 weeks after completion of study treatment
* No complicated medical or psychiatric problems that would preclude study compliance
* No concurrent serious uncontrolled infection or disseminated intravascular coagulation
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* No allergies to diphtheria toxin
* No requirement for oxygen
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
* See Disease Characteristics
* No other concurrent antineoplastic drugs
* No concurrent radiotherapy
* No concurrent corticosteroids as antiemetics
* No concurrent hematopoietic growth factors (e.g., epoetin alfa, interleukin-11, filgrastim \[G-CSF\], or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\])
* No concurrent intravenous immunoglobins