A Study Of Panobinostat In Children With Refractory Hematologic Malignancies

This study is for patients with relapsed or refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), Hodgkin's Disease (HD) or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). Panobinostat is a new drug that is considered investigational because it has not been approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or in any other country. Panobinostat is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) and interferes with gene expression found in cells causing them to stop growing or die. Panobinostat has been used in several hundred adults who had leukemia, HD, NHL and other solid tumors. Panobinostat has not been given to children. This is a phase I study. In a phase I study, drugs are tested to the highest dose that can be safely given. Drugs are given at gradually increasing dosages until there are unacceptable side effects. The goal of the Phase I study is to find out the dose of panobinostat that can be safely given to children with relapsed ALL, AML, HD and NHL.