Collecting and Storing Blood and Bone Marrow Samples From Patients With Hematologic Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

- Maintain and expand tissue repositories of highly characterized samples from patients
with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid
leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes.

- Develop laboratory assays for rapid and precise diagnosis of leukemia using bone marrow
and peripheral blood samples.

- Determine biologic, genetic, and molecular parameters that distinguish different
subtypes of human leukemia with differing responses to therapy, and develop
"risk-adapted" therapeutic approaches based on these parameters to tailor therapeutic
regimens, randomize or stratify patients in clinical trials, or otherwise assist in
therapeutic decision-making.

- Develop new automated and standardized laboratory methods for the detection and
monitoring of therapeutic responsiveness and minimal residual disease in patients and
use this information to design clinical trials.

OUTLINE: Patients receive treatment as directed by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) study
to which they are registered.

Patients undergo collection of peripheral blood (myeloid leukemia) or venous blood (lymphoid
leukemia) and bone marrow at baseline, at the time of response or remission, and at the time
of progression or relapse. Additional collections may take place according to the guidelines
of the study in which the patient is registered.

Specimens are stored for use in laboratory research.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Samples from a maximum of 1,000 patients will be collected for this
study.