Everolimus and Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Chronic Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Who Are Not in Complete Cytogenetic Remission After Previous Imatinib Mesylate

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

  * In chronic phase
  * Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive
  * No accelerated or blastic phase

    * Accelerated phase CML is defined as ≥ 15% but \< 30% blasts in peripheral blood or bone marrow OR ≥ 30% blasts and promyelocytes in peripheral blood or bone marrow provided that \< 30% blasts were present OR ≥ 20% peripheral basophils OR platelet count \< 100,000/mm\^3, unrelated to therapy
* No less than 20 metaphases in the bone marrow sample
* No evidence of complete cytogenetic response to imatinib mesylate (complete cytogenetic response defined as 0% Ph-positive cells in bone marrow)
* Receiving continuous imatinib mesylate therapy for ≥ the past 9 months

  * Dosage ≥ 600 mg/day for ≥ the past 3 months
  * Stable dose of 600 mg/day for ≥ the past 4 weeks
* Achieved and maintained hematological response to imatinib mesylate as defined by all of the following:

  * WBC \< 20,000/mm\^3
  * Basophils \< 20%
  * Less than 5% myelocytes and metamyelocytes in peripheral blood
  * No blasts or promyelocytes in peripheral blood
  * No evidence of disease-related symptoms or extramedullary disease, including enlarged spleen or liver

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* WHO 0-2

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* See Disease Characteristics
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL

Hepatic

* AST and ALT \< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Bilirubin \< 1.5 times ULN (except for patients with Gilbert's disease)
* PTT \< 1.5 times ULN (except for patients on oral anticoagulation therapy)
* INR \< 1.5 times ULN (except for patients on oral anticoagulation therapy)

Renal

* Creatinine \< 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

* No angina
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV cardiac disease

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
* HIV negative
* No history of non-compliance with medical regimens
* No hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia (fasting state) ≥ grade 2 (despite lipid-lowering therapy)
* No diabetes mellitus
* No thyroid dysfunction
* No neuropsychiatric disorders
* No infection
* No other severe and/or uncontrolled medical condition that would preclude study participation
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* No prior allogeneic, syngeneic, or autologous bone marrow transplantation or stem cell transplantation for CML
* No concurrent prophylactic hematopoietic growth factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\], sargramostim \[GM-CSF\], or epoetin alfa)

Chemotherapy

* No prior chemotherapy regimens used in transplantation

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* Not specified

Surgery

* Recovered from prior major surgery

Other

* No prior sirolimus in combination with imatinib mesylate
* At least 4 weeks since prior investigational agents used in combination with imatinib mesylate and recovered
* No other concurrent investigational therapies
* No other concurrent anticancer agents