Vorinostat and Lenalidomide After Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Treating Patients With Multiple Myeloma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of multiple myeloma
* Has undergone melphalan-conditioned autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant myeloma.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG/WHO performance status 0-2
* ANC ≥ 1,000/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm³
* Total bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST and ALT ≤ 2 times ULN
* Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 90 days after completion of study treatment
* No blood, sperm, or ova donation during and for ≥ 4 weeks after completion of study treatment
* Able to obtain commercially available lenalidomide via Celegene's RevAssist® program

  * Registered in the RevAssist® program
  * Willing and able to comply with the requirements of RevAssist®
* Able to swallow capsules
* No severe or uncontrolled systemic illness
* No "currently active" second malignancy, other than nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

  * Patients are not considered to have a "currently active" malignancy if they completed therapy for the malignancy, are disease free from the malignancy for \> 5 years, and are considered by their physician to be at \< 30% risk of relapse
* No congenital long QT syndrome
* No drug or alcohol abuse within the past 12 months
* No history of allergic reactions (including erythema nodosum) attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to lenalidomide, thalidomide, or vorinostat
* No other medical condition, including mental illness or substance abuse, deemed by the investigator(s) to likely interfere with a patient's ability to sign informed consent, cooperate and participate in the study, or interfere with the interpretation of the study results

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 4 weeks since prior class Ia, Ib, or Ic antiarrhythmic medication
* No prior HDAC inhibitor-like compounds (e.g., valproic acid) as anticancer therapy
* More than 30 days since prior HDAC inhibitor-like compounds for other indications (e.g., valproic acid for epilepsy)
* No prior gastrointestinal surgery or other procedure that may, in the opinion of the investigator, interfere with the absorption or swallowing of the study drugs
* No concurrent corticosteroids other than for physiologic maintenance treatment
* No concurrent radiotherapy, unless for local control of bone pain

  * Irradiated area should be as small as possible
  * Lesions within the irradiated field cannot be used for response assessment
* No concurrent use of complementary or alternative medicines that would confound the interpretation of toxicities and anticancer activity of the study drugs
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy, including chemotherapy or biologic therapy
* No other concurrent HDAC inhibitors (e.g., valproic acid)