Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplants at UCLA

The UCLA program in leukemia and bone marrow transplantation is one of the world's oldest, having treated patients since 1973. Approximately 200 patients undergo bone marrow and stem cell transplants at UCLA each year.

• As director of leukemia studies, Dr. Gary Schiller leads a multi-disciplinary research program devoted to basic and clinical investigations in the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
• Historically, leukemia research has paved the way towards knowledge of other diseases, particularly breast, testicular, and colon cancers as well as diseases of cellular growth and maturation.
• Patients can immediately benefit from research as the therapeutic envelope is pushed out by scientific study.
• Twenty years ago, leukemia was typically a fatal disease. Today, intensive chemotherapy with or without bone marrow transplantation offers a cure for 30-50% of patients who achieve a remission.

What's New

Dr. Schiller's studies focus on new treatments of leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma. He is presently conducting promising new studies involving novel chemotherapy, immunotherapy including treatment from UCLA, and autologous (self-donated) stem cell transplantation.

1. A pilot study of allogeneic transplantation using CD34-selected peripheral blood progenitor cells in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies.
2. High-dose chemo-radiotherapy and autologous bone marrow infusion for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
3. A multi-center, randomized controlled phase III study evaluating CD34-selected vs. unselected autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma.
4. A phase I-II study of autologous peripheral hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia in first complete remission.
5. Pilot studies in stem cell transplantation for small and non-small cell lung cancer.
6. Phase II study of etoposide, ifosfamide, and mitoxantrone for the treatment of resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
7. Phase II study of high-dose cytarabine and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of resistant acute myelogenous leukemia.
8. A phase I-II study of interleukin-2 to enhance the antileukemia effect of alpha interferon in the treatment of chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukemia.
9. Leustatin in the treatment of patients with previously untreated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
10. Transplantation of autologous peripheral CD34+ stem cells as treatment for multiple myeloma: a multi-institutional trial.
11. A randomized double-blind acyclovir-controlled multicenter study to assess the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of intravenous penciclovir for the treatment of mucocutaneous herpes simplex infection in immunocompromised patients.
12. A phase I-II study of idarubicin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide for treatment of resistant multiple myeloma.
13. A phase I-II trial of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine in advanced stage, relapsed or refractory, low-grade lymphoma.