Chemotherapy With or Without Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin in Treating Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the antileukemic activity of standard induction chemotherapy with or without gemtuzumab ozogamicin in elderly patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia.
• Determine the overall survival of patients treated with these regimens.
• Determine the rate of response, disease-free survival, event-free survival, incidence of relapse, and incidence of death of patients treated with these regimens.
• Determine the rate, type, and grade of toxicity of these regimens in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, open-label, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to age (61-69 vs 70-75), CD33 positivity (less than 5% vs 5-19% vs 20-80% vs more than 80% vs unknown), initial WBC before hydroxyurea administration if needed (less than 30,000/mm^3 vs at least 30,000/mm^3), and participating center. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm I:

• Induction (phase I): Patients receive gemtuzumab ozogamicin IV over 2 hours on days 1 and 15.
• Induction (phase II/MICE regimen): Beginning between days 50 and 53, patients receive mitoxantrone IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 3, and 5; etoposide IV over 1 hour on days 1-3; and cytarabine IV continuously on days 1-7. Bone marrow evaluation is performed on day 29. Patients with partial remission (PR) receive a second course of MICE chemotherapy regimen. Patients with complete remission (CR) after 1 or 2 courses of MICE regimen proceed to consolidation therapy. Patients with progressive disease go off therapy.
• Consolidation: Beginning within 4 weeks of documentation of CR, patients receive gemtuzumab ozogamicin IV over 2 hours on day 0; idarubicin IV on days 1, 3, and 5; etoposide IV over 1 hour on days 1-3; and cytarabine IV continuously on days 1-5. After at least day 30, patients receive a second consolidation course in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Arm II:

• Induction (MICE regimen): Patients receive mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine as in arm I induction. Bone marrow evaluation is performed on day 29. Patients with PR receive a second course of MICE chemotherapy regimen. Patients with CR after 1 or 2 courses of MICE regimen proceed to consolidation therapy. Patients with progressive disease go off therapy.
• Consolidation: Patients receive idarubicin, etoposide, and cytarabine as in arm I consolidation.

Patients are followed monthly for 1 year, every 3 months for 2 years, and then every 6 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 450 patients (225 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study within 3.75 years.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

• Bone marrow blasts at least 20% by bone marrow aspiration or biopsy
• FAB subtypes M0-M2 and M4-M7

• No acute promyelocytic leukemia (FAB subtype M3)
• Previously untreated primary or secondary AML, including AML after myelodysplastic syndromes

• Hydroxyurea and/or corticosteroid therapy for no more than 14 days allowed
• No blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia
• No AML supervening after other myeloproliferative diseases
• No active CNS leukemia

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 61 to 75

Performance status

• WHO 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• WBC less than 30,000/mm^3 (pretreatment with hydroxyurea for no more than 14 days allowed)

Hepatic

• Bilirubin no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal

• Creatinine no greater than 3 times ULN

Cardiovascular

• No concurrent severe cardiovascular disease
• No arrhythmias requiring chronic treatment
• No congestive heart failure
• No symptomatic ischemic heart disease

Pulmonary

• No severe pulmonary dysfunction (CTC grade 3-4)

Other

• HIV negative
• No other uncontrolled infection
• No other concurrent malignant disease
• No severe concurrent neurological or psychiatric disease
• No prior alcohol abuse
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent hematopoietic growth factors (filgrastim [G-CSF] or sargramostim [GM-CSF]) except for life-threatening infection due to neutropenia

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No prior enrollment in this trial