Cellular Adoptive Immunotherapy in Treating Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or Myelodysplastic Syndromes That Relapsed After Donor Stem Cell Transplant

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation\* from a major histocompatability complex (MHC)-identical related donor for 1 of the following:

  * Primary refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
  * AML or ALL beyond first remission
  * Therapy-related AML at any stage
  * Philadelphia chromosome (bcr-abl)-positive p190-positive ALL at any stage
  * Acute leukemia at any stage arising from myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disorders, including any of the following:

    * Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
    * Chronic myelogenous leukemia
    * Polycythemia vera
    * Essential thrombocytosis
    * Agnogenic myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis
  * Refractory anemia with excess blasts
  * Refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation NOTE: \*Patients must be enrolled on study prior to undergoing transplantation
* Relapsed disease post-transplantation, as evidenced by 1 of the following criteria:

  * Morphologic relapse, as defined by 1 or more of the following:

    * Peripheral blasts in the absence of growth factor therapy
    * Bone marrow blasts \> 5% of nucleated cells
    * Extramedullary chloroma or granulocytic sarcoma
  * Flow cytometric relapse, as defined by the appearance of cells with abnormal immunophenotype consistent with leukemia relapse in the peripheral blood or bone marrow (detected before transplantation)
  * Cytogenetic relapse, as defined by the appearance in 1 or more metaphases from bone marrow or peripheral blood cells of either a non-constitutional cytogenetic abnormality detected in at least 1 cytogenetic study performed before transplantation OR a new abnormality known to be associated with leukemia
  * Molecular relapse, as defined by 1 of the following:

    * 1 or more positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for clonotypic immunoglobulin heavy chain or T-cell receptor gene rearrangement in patients transplanted for B- or T-cell ALL respectively
    * 1 or more positive post-transplantation reverse transcription PCR assays for p190 BCR-ABL mRNA fusion transcripts in patients transplanted for Philadelphia chromosome-positive p190-positive ALL
* No grade III or IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)\*\*
* No extensive chronic GVHD\*\* NOTE: \*\*At time of post-transplant relapse

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 14 and over (patients \< 14 years of age may be eligible if they are deemed to be of sufficient height and weight by the pediatric attending physician)

Performance status

* Karnofsky 60-100% (at time of post-transplant relapse)

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Not specified

Hepatic

* Not specified

Renal

* Not specified

Other

* No preexisting major nonhematopoietic organ toxicity ≥ grade 3 (at time of post-transplant relapse)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* Not specified

Endocrine therapy

* Concurrent immunosuppressive steroid therapy for GVHD allowed provided both of the following are true:

  * Able to taper steroid dose to \< 0.5 mg/kg/day
  * No increase of \> 1 grade in acute GVHD OR progression of chronic GVHD within 14 days after dose change

Radiotherapy

* Not specified

Surgery

* Not specified