7-Hydroxystaurosporine and Perifosine in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia or High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed hematologic malignancy of 1 of the following types:

  * Relapsed or refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)

    * Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia t(15;17) are eligible provided they failed a prior tretinoin and arsenic-containing regimen

      * Patients should be either refractory to both agents (absence of durable hematologic response) OR relapsed after a complete response duration of \< 6 months
  * Relapsed or refractory pre-B-cell or T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
  * Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in accelerated or blastic phase that is refractory to imatinib mesylate

    * Must have evidence of disease progression despite continued treatment with imatinib mesylate
  * AML arising in the setting of underlying myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and/or myeloproliferative disorders (MPD)
  * Secondary or therapy-related AML
  * De novo AML or pre-B-cell or T-cell ALL in adults \> 60 years of age with poor-risk features, such as complex (≥ 3) or adverse cytogenetics

    * The following are considered adverse cytogenetic abnormalities for AML:

      * -5q
      * 7q-
      * 9q-
      * 20q-
      * abn12p
      * +21
      * +8
      * t(6;9)
      * t(6;11)
      * t(11;19)
      * -7
      * -5
      * inv3/t(3;3)
      * abn11q23
      * abn17p
      * abn21q
      * t(9;22) refractory to imatinib mesylate
    * The following are considered adverse cytogenetic abnormalities for ALL:

      * t(9;22) refractory to imatinib mesylate
      * Hypodiploidy
      * t(4;11)
      * t(1;19)
  * Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) meeting 1 of the following criteria:

    * Intermediate and high risk (i.e., International Prognostic Scoring System \[IPSS\] ≥ 1.5) MDS that is refractory or has progressed after treatment with azacitidine and/or decitabine
    * Intermediate and high risk (i.e., IPSS ≥ 1.5) MDS with a 5q- cytogenetic abnormality that is refractory or has progressed after treatment with lenalidomide, azacitidine, or decitabine
    * Intermediate 2 and high risk MDS without 5q- cytogenetic abnormality that is refractory or has progressed after azacitidine or decitabine

      * Original 5q must also be refractory to lenalidomide
* Received OR ineligible for established curative regimens, including stem cell transplantation
* No active CNS leukemia
* ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2 OR Karnofsky PS ≥ 60%
* Total or direct bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
* No hyperleukocytosis (i.e., WBC \> 30,000/mm\^3) (recent treatment with hydroxyurea to prevent impending leukostasis allowed provided there has been no dose increase for ≥ 1 week)
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to UCN-01 or perifosine
* No intrinsic impaired organ function
* No active, uncontrolled infection

  * Infection that is controlled with antibiotics allowed
* No symptomatic cardiac disease
* No active ischemia on EKG
* LVEF ≥ 40% by echocardiogram or MUGA

  * Patients with a history of cardiac disease or mediastinal radiation should undergo testing of ventricular function
* No poorly controlled diabetes mellitus
* No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude giving informed consent or complying with study requirements
* No HIV positivity
* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (6 weeks for carmustine or mitomycin C) and recovered
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* At least 4 weeks since prior autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT)
* At least 90 days since prior allogeneic SCT

  * No evidence of graft vs host disease
* At least 2 weeks since prior immunosuppressive therapy
* No concurrent hematopoietic growth factors or biologic agents
* No other concurrent investigational agents, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy