Total-Body Irradiation

This phase II trial studies how well giving an umbilical cord blood transplant together with cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, and total-body irradiation (TBI) works in treating patients with hematologic diseases. Giving chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, fludarabine and thiotepa, and TBI before a donor cord blood transplant (CBT) helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells and helps stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. When the healthy stem cells from a donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil after transplant may stop this from happening in patients with high-risk hematologic diseases.

This phase II trial tests the safety, side effects, and how well combination chemotherapy with fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and idarubicin (FLAG-Ida) followed immediately by reduced-intensity total body radiation therapy, called total body irradiation (TBI), and donor hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) works in treating adults age 60 and older with newly diagnosed adverse-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or other high-grade myeloid cancer. Despite advances in supportive care and the approval of more than 10 new drugs since 2017, the outcomes of older adults with adverse-risk acute myeloid leukemia and other high-grade myeloid cancers remains poor. Most patients are expected to die from their cancer or the consequences of treatment-related side effects. Donor HCT is a very important part of any curative-cancer treatment for these patients. However, while accepted as standard care for decades, this treatment exposes patients to long periods of drug-induced low blood cell counts and the problems associated with low blood counts, like infections and bleeding, which are associated with significant risk of chronic side effects and death. This study will use a different approach to the upfront curative-cancer treatment of older adults with an adverse-risk AML or other high-grade myeloid cancer. This study will use intense chemotherapy followed a few days later by lower-dose TBI and donor HCT. Chemotherapy drugs, such as idarubicin, fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. G-CSF helps the bone marrow make more white blood cells in patients with low white blood cell count due to cancer treatment. This approach allows effective treatment of cancer cells and overall reduction of the period of low blood cells counts. This decreases the risk for problems associated with low blood counts, such as infection and chronic side effects. Decreasing these are important for older adults who undergo HCT. This treatment strategy may improve treatment outcomes by allowing more patients to successfully undergo donor HCT and reduce the risk of low blood cell counts and the problems associated with low blood counts. Giving chemotherapy followed immediately by reduced-intensity TBI and donor HCT may be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating adults age 60 and older with newly diagnosed adverse-risk AML or other high-grade myeloid cancer.

This MyeloMATCH Master Screening and Reassessment Protocol (MSRP) evaluates the use of a screening tool and specific laboratory tests to help improve participants' ability to register to clinical trials throughout the course of their myeloid cancer (acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome) treatment. This study involves testing patients' bone marrow and blood for certain biomarkers. A biomarker (sometimes called a marker) is any molecule in the body that can be measured. Doctors look at markers to learn what is happening in the body. Knowing about certain markers can give doctors more information about what is driving the cancer and how to treat it. Testing patients' bone marrow and blood will show doctors if patients have markers that specific drugs can target. The marker testing in this study will let doctors know if they can match patients with a treatment study (myeloMATCH clinical trial) that tests treatment for the type of cancer they have or continue standard of care treatment with their doctor on the Tier Advancement Pathway (TAP).