Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome or Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Pathological confirmation of one of the following:

  * Untreated refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) in transformation
  * RAEB with greater than 10% blasts cells in the bone marrow
  * Other myelodysplastic syndromes
  * Profound cytopenias
  * Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) supervening after overt myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) of more than 6 months duration
* No blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia
* No leukemias supervening after other myeloproliferative disease
* No leukemias supervening after overt MDS of less than 6 months duration
* The following are allowed:

  * Secondary acute leukemias following Hodgkin's disease or other malignancies
  * Secondary leukemias following exposure to alkylating agents or radiation

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 16-60

Performance status:

* WHO 0-2

Hematopoietic:

* If RAEB, blasts cells of greater than 10% in bone marrow
* Neutrophil count less than 5,000 or Platelet count less than 200,000
* Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) with greater than 5% blasts cells in bone marrow, or CMML with neutrophil count greater than 160,000 or monocyte count greater than 2,600

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times normal

Cardiovascular:

* No patients with severe heart failure requiring diuretics or an ejection fraction of less than 50%

Neurological:

* No severe concomitant neurological disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No treatments within the past 4 weeks of:

  * Biological response modifiers AND/OR
  * Low dose Ara-C

Chemotherapy:

* No prior intensive treatment for MDS or AML

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* No prior treatment for MDS or AML

Surgery:

* Not specified