Arsenic Trioxide in Treating Young Patients With Refractory Leukemia or Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed leukemia or lymphoma refractory to standard curative treatment regimens
* Measurable or evaluable disease
* No meningeal leukemia or lymphoma
* No HIV-related lymphoma
* No lymphoproliferative diseases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 2 to 21

  * Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients (stratum I) must be age 2 to 12

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Not specified

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin normal
* SGPT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
* No significant hepatic dysfunction that would preclude study therapy

Renal:

* Creatinine normal (age adjusted) OR
* Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
* Potassium, magnesium, and calcium at least lower limit of normal (oral or IV supplementation allowed)
* No significant renal dysfunction that would preclude study therapy

Cardiovascular:

* Rate corrected QTc interval no greater than 0.48 on EKG
* No significant cardiac dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
* No cardiac disease, including dysrhythmias

Pulmonary:

* No significant pulmonary dysfunction that would preclude study therapy

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No persistent grade 3 or greater sensory or motor neuropathy
* No prior grand mal seizures (grade 3 or greater) within the past 2 years other than febrile seizures (except for patients with APL at discretion of investigator)
* No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness that would preclude study therapy (e.g., serious infection)
* HIV negative

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 1 week since prior colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\], sargramostim \[GM-CSF\], and epoetin alfa)
* No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

* No prior arsenic trioxide
* At least 2 weeks since prior chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
* No concurrent intrathecal chemotherapy except for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients experiencing progressive meningeal leukemia and demonstrating benefit from arsenic trioxide for systemic disease
* No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* No concurrent steroids (except corticosteroids for retinoic acid syndrome)

Radiotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* Not specified

Other:

* At least 6 months since prior anticonvulsants
* At least 1 week since prior retinoid therapy
* No concurrent retinoids
* No other concurrent investigational agents