Oxaliplatin, Fludarabine, Cytarabine and Rituximab in Richter's Syndrome, Refractory CLL and PLL

Oxaliplatin, fludarabine, cytarabine and rituximab are anticancer drugs. Oxaliplatin is a platinum compound that has been shown to be effective in fighting other cancers. Oxaliplatin is a third generation platinum compound with higher activity and less toxicity in colon cancer and other tumors compared to other platinum compounds, such as cisplatin. Oxaliplatin has shown activity in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Before treatment starts, you will have a complete physical exam and routine blood tests (about 2 teaspoons). A bone marrow sample will be collected. To collect a bone marrow sample, an area of the hip or chest bone is numbed with anesthetic and a small amount of bone marrow is withdrawn through a large needle. Women who are able to have children must have a negative blood or urine pregnancy test.

This research study has two parts, a Phase I part and a Phase II part. You will receive at least 1 cycle of therapy.

Oxaliplatin will be given through a needle in your vein (called an IV) for 4 days (Days 1 through 4). Rituximab will be given through an IV on Day 3 of the first cycle and on Day 1 on every cycle after that. One day after the first dose of oxaliplatin and rituximab (Day 2), fludarabine and cytarabine will be given through an IV for two days (Days 2 and 3). Peg-filgrastim will be given subcutaneously (through a needle just under your skin) on Day 6. Other IV fluids such as saline will be given on all of the treatment days to keep you from being dehydrated, which means that the daily visit may take eight hours. The combination will be repeated once a cycle (every 28 days) for up to a total of 6 cycles.

During the Phase I and II phases of the study, researchers will be testing different dose levels of the study drug combination. Three patients will be enrolled at each dose level. Each time the dose level is raised, it will occur after each patient has been monitored for 28 days. Individual patients who do not experience serious drug-related side effects after the second cycle may receive the next higher dose level for the following treatment cycles.

Drugs will be given before each dose of rituximab to lower the risk of side effects. If side effects do occur during rituximab treatment, rituximab may have to be stopped until the side effects go away and then restarted. This may make your time in the outpatient area longer.

The first treatment cycle will be given at M. D. Anderson. Depending on your response to treatment, up to 5 more cycles can be performed either at M. D. Anderson or at home with your regular physician. After 3 cycles of treatment, you will be checked at M. D. Anderson to see if the disease is responding to treatment. If the disease is responding after 3 cycles of therapy, you may continue to receive therapy for up to 3 more cycles. If the disease is not responding, you will be taken off the study and your doctor will discuss other treatment options with you.

Once the best safe dose of the drug combination is found in the Phase I portion of the study, the next group of participants entering the study will take part in the Phase II portion of the study. The goal of this part of the study is to look at the effects of the drug combination in patients with refractory CLL, prolymphocytic leukemia or Richter's transformation. The dose level for the combination will be the one found in the Phase I part of the study.

The same dose levels for all four drugs will be used throughout the Phase II portion of the study, unless intolerable side effects occur. In that case, the dose may be lowered or the treatment may be stopped. You will be taken off study if the disease gets worse.

During each treatment cycle, you will have blood samples (about 1 teaspoon each) taken once every 1-2 weeks. Bone marrow biopsies will be done at the end of the 3rd and 6th chemotherapy cycles.

After your last cycle of treatment is completed, you will have blood drawn (about 2 teaspoons each) every 3 months for as long as you are in remission, for routine testing.

This is an investigational study. The FDA has authorized the use of these drugs for research only, when given for this purpose. All of these drugs are commercially available for other types of treatment. Oxaliplatin will be free of charge during the study. You and/or your insurance company will be responsible for the cost of the other drugs used in this study. Patients will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson, University of California, San Diego, or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Up to 52 patients will take part in this multicenter study. The estimated number of patients who will be treated at M. D. Anderson is up to 52.