Because the patient's immune system has been destroyed, the donor's bone marrow is not rejected and grows to replace the patient's bone marrow. Our goal is to see whether donor cell engraftment can be achieved by preparing the patient with low dose irradiation prior to the transplant. After the transplant, the patient will receive two medicines, FK-506 and mycophenoloic acid, that suppress the immune system and prevent rejection of the donor marrow. There is growing evidence that T cells, contained in the donor's marrow, are potent killers of cancer cells. Eligibility Patients must have an HLA identical sibling.
Specific eligibility varies according to disease status for the different diseases.
Patients between the ages of 55 and 70 are eligible. For instance, patients may be eligible if they have had greater than 12 months of chemotherapy in the past, if they have relapsed after an autologous BMT, or if they have a mild impairment in the function of the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Unmanipulated marrow graft from an HLA-identical sibling.