Recruiting
Phase 2
Phase 3

Venetoclax, Busulfan, Cladribine, Fludarabine

Sponsor:

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Code:

NCT04708054

Conditions

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Busulfan

Cladribine

Fludarabine Phosphate

Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Thiotepa

Study Details

Brief summary:

This phase II trial studies the effect of venetoclax together with busulfan, cladribine, and fludarabine in treating patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who are undergoing stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy drugs, such as venetoclax, busulfan, cladribine, and fludarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Adding venetoclax to the current standard of care stem cell transplant regimen of busulfan, fludarabine, and cladribine may help to control high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

Conditions

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Study ID

NCT04708054

Start date

Oct 21, 2021

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Phase II

1. Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 70 years. English and non-English speaking patients are eligible.
2. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have previously received induction therapy and one of the following high-risk features:

1. ELN17 adverse risk prognostic group irrespective of remission status (see Appendix 2)
2. Measurable residual disease positive (MRD +)
3. Not in complete remission including complete remission without count recovery (Cri) and/or morphologic leukemia free state (MLFS), primary refractory, or relapsed disease. See Appendix 3 for details.
4. AML secondary to MDS or MPD
5. Therapy-related AML.
6. Not in complete remission after one course of induction therapy

Or

Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or CMML and one of the following high-risk features:
1. Poor or Very poor cytogenetic risk group as per IPSS-R
2. Mutated P53 or Ras pathway genes (CBL, NRAS, KRAS, NF1, PTPN1) or DNMT 3a or ASXL1 or RUNX1
3. Maximum IPSS-R >3.5 between diagnosis and the start of the preparative regimen.
4. ≥ 5% BM blasts at transplant
5. Therapy-related MDS
3. HLA-identical sibling or a minimum of 7/8 matched unrelated donor, or a haploidentical related donor available
4. Subject must voluntarily sign an informed consent
5. Female subjects of childbearing potential must have negative results for pregnancy test
6. Adequate hepatic and renal function per local laboratory reference range as follows:

  • Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) < 3.0X ULN
  • Bilirubin <1.5 x ULN (unless bilirubin rise is due to Gilbert's syndrome or of non-hepatic origin)
  • Subject must have adequate renal function as demonstrated by a creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min; calculated by the Cockcroft Gault formula or measured by 24 hours urine collection.

Phase III

1. Age ≥ 18 and ≤ 65 years. English and non-English speaking patients are eligible.
2. Patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have previously received induction therapy and one of the following high-risk features:

1. ELN22 adverse risk prognostic group irrespective of remission status (see Appendix
2. Measurable residual disease positive (MRD +) including MRD + any time after induction therapy.
3. Not in complete remission including complete remission without count recovery (Cri) and/or morphologic leukemia free state (MLFS), primary refractory, or relapsed disease. See Appendix 4 for details.
4. AML secondary to MDS or MPD
5. Therapy-related AML.
6. Not in complete remission after one course of induction therapy
7. Second or higher complete remission

Or

Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and one of the following high-risk features:
1. Poor or Very poor cytogenetic risk group as per IPSS-R
2. Mutated P53 or Ras pathway genes (CBL, NRAS, KRAS, NF1, PTPN11) or ASXL1 or RUNX1 or moderate high, or high, or very high-risk group as per IPSS-M
3. Maximum IPSS-R >3.5 between diagnosis and the start of the preparative regimen.
4. ≥ 5% BM blasts at transplant
5. Therapy-related MDS

Or

Patients with CMML
3. HLA-identical sibling or a minimum of 7/8 matched unrelated donor
4. Subject must voluntarily sign an informed consent
5. Female subjects of childbearing potential must have negative results for pregnancy test
6. Adequate hepatic and renal function per local laboratory reference range as follows:

  • Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) < 3.0X ULN
  • Bilirubin <1.5 x ULN (unless bilirubin rise is due to Gilbert's syndrome or of non-hepatic origin)
  • Subject must have adequate renal function as demonstrated by a creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min; calculated by the Cockcroft Gault formula or measured by 24 hours urine collection.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Subject is known to be positive for HIV.
2. Subject has cognitive impairments and/or is a prisoner.
3. Subject has acute promyelocytic leukemia
4. Subject has known active CNS involvement with AML.
5. Evidence of other clinically significant uncontrolled condition(s) including, but not limited to:

1. Uncontrolled and/or active systemic infection (viral, bacterial or fungal)
2. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV) requiring treatment. Note: subjects with serologic evidence of prior vaccination to HBV (i.e. hepatitis B surface (HBs) antigen negative-, anti-HBs antibody positive and anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) antibody negative) or positive anti-HBc antibody from intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) may participate.
6. Cardiac history of CHF requiring treatment or Ejection Fraction < 50% or unstable angina;
7. Corrected DLCO < 50% or FEV1 <65%.
8. Administration or consumption of any of the following within 3 days prior to the first dose of study drug:

  • grapefruit or grapefruit products
  • Seville oranges (including marmalade containing Seville oranges)
  • star fruit
9. Patients with cognitive impairments and/or any serious unstable pre-existing medical condition or psychiatric disorder that can interfere with safety or with obtaining informed consent or compliance with study procedures.
10. Prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Study Design

Enrollment

324 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Treatment (venetoclax, busulfan, fludarabine, cladribine)

Patients receive venetoclax PO QD on days -22 to -3, busulfan IV over 3 hours on days -20, -13, -6, -5, -4, and -3, and fludarabine phosphate IV over 1 hour and cladribine IV over 2 hours on days -6 to -3 in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo stem cell transplantation over 1-2 hours on day 0.

Interventions

Busulfan

Given IV

Cladribine

Given IV

Fludarabine Phosphate

Given IV

Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Undergo stem cell transplantation

Thiotepa

Given IV

Venetoclax

Given PO

Primary outcome measure

  • 1-year progression free survival (PFS) [ Time Frame: At 1 year post-transplant ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Recruiting

Houston, Texas, United States, 77030

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Uday R. Popat

More Information

Sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Last update posted

Aug 11, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center on 2026-08-11.