Measuring Changes in Blood in Patients at High Risk of Cytomegalovirus Infection After Undergoing Donor Bone Marrow Transplant or Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant

Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Neoplasm, Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Nonneoplastic Condition

cytomegalovirus infection, accelerated phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, atypical chronic myeloid leukemia, BCR-ABL negative, blastic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, recurrent adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, recurrent adult acute myeloid leukemia, refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, refractory hairy cell leukemia, relapsing chronic myelogenous leukemia, secondary acute myeloid leukemia, stage III chronic lymphocytic leukemia, stage IV chronic lymphocytic leukemia, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, stage III adult Burkitt lymphoma, stage III adult diffuse large cell lymphoma, stage III adult diffuse mixed cell lymphoma, stage III adult diffuse small cleaved cell lymphoma, stage III adult immunoblastic large cell lymphoma, stage III adult lymphoblastic lymphoma, stage III grade 1 follicular lymphoma, stage III grade 2 follicular lymphoma, stage III grade 3 follicular lymphoma, stage III mantle cell lymphoma, stage III marginal zone lymphoma, stage III small lymphocytic lymphoma, stage IV adult Burkitt lymphoma, stage IV adult diffuse large cell lymphoma, stage IV adult diffuse mixed cell lymphoma, stage IV adult diffuse small cleaved cell lymphoma, stage IV adult immunoblastic large cell lymphoma, stage IV adult lymphoblastic lymphoma, stage IV grade 1 follicular lymphoma, stage IV grade 2 follicular lymphoma, stage IV grade 3 follicular lymphoma, stage IV mantle cell lymphoma, stage IV marginal zone lymphoma, stage IV small lymphocytic lymphoma, recurrent adult Hodgkin lymphoma, recurrent adult Burkitt lymphoma, recurrent adult diffuse large cell lymphoma, recurrent adult diffuse mixed cell lymphoma, recurrent adult diffuse small cleaved cell lymphoma, recurrent adult immunoblastic large cell lymphoma, recurrent adult lymphoblastic lymphoma, recurrent cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, recurrent mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, recurrent grade 1 follicular lymphoma, recurrent grade 2 follicular lymphoma, recurrent grade 3 follicular lymphoma, recurrent mantle cell lymphoma, recurrent marginal zone lymphoma, recurrent small lymphocytic lymphoma, chronic eosinophilic leukemia, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, primary myelofibrosis, stage II multiple myeloma, stage III multiple myeloma, refractory multiple myeloma, de novo myelodysplastic syndromes, previously treated myelodysplastic syndromes, secondary myelodysplastic syndromes, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable, stage I multiple myeloma

RATIONALE: Tests that measure certain changes in blood in patients at high risk of cytomegalovirus infection may help doctors learn more about predicting cytomegalovirus infection after donor stem cell transplant. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying tests that measure changes in the blood in patients at high risk of cytomegalovirus infection after undergoing donor bone marrow transplant or peripheral stem cell transplant.

OBJECTIVES: * To document the quantitative characteristics of a cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific HLA-peptide tetramer-binding assay (TBA) for cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in patients who have undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). * To confirm the optimal TBA conditions for CTL characterization in these patients. * To compare the TBA results for these patients with conventional assays for CTL functions. * To compare CMV-specific TBA during the first 3 months after allogeneic BMT or PBSCT and to determine whether this binding function, in either donor or recipient, is a surrogate marker for protection from risk of CMV infection in these patients. * To determine whether acquisition of CMV-specific TBA protects from risk for CMV disease in patients having active CMV infection after allogeneic BMT or PBSCT. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients accrue initially to cohort 1 until a sufficient number of stem cell transplantation (SCT) recipients are enrolled. Patients then accrue to cohort 2 based on documented cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and preemptive treatment with ganciclovir within 90 days after SCT (patients previously accrued to cohort 1 can be accrued to cohort 2 if they develop CMV infection). * Cohort 1: Patients undergo blood sample collection on approximately days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 360 post transplantation. Samples are analyzed (to determine the development of CMV immunity) for prevalence of CMV-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) by HLA-peptide tetramer-binding assay (TBA) pp65, with and without in vitro stimulation (IVS). Samples collected on days 40 and 90 are also analyzed by chromium release assay (CRA). Patients suspected of developing CMV viremia may receive ganciclovir according to standard clinical practice. * Cohort 2: Patients undergo blood sample collection on approximately days 90, 120, 150, 180, and 360 after SCT. Samples are analyzed by TBApp65 staining and for prospective measurement of CMV-specific CTL functions. All patients undergo routine clinical surveillance for CMV infection on days 21 to 100 after SCT. CMV viral load measurements are obtained twice weekly by CMV-DNA PCR assays on blood cells and plasma and shell-vial blood cultures. In cohort 2, CMV viral load is also determined on days 90 (if not previously as part of cohort 1), 120, 150, 180, and 360. The CMV infection data obtained is then compared with TBA and CTL measurements using HLA-specific tetramers and IVS-induced cytotoxicity assays. Clinical events, such as graft-versus-host disease, underlying disease status, and procedure-related complications are also analyzed and correlated with TBA results. Stromal cell cultures are obtained from marrow donors at the time of marrow harvest for use as target cells in CTL assays. Donor saliva samples are also obtained for detection of CMV infection by shell-vial method.