RATIONALE: Giving thalidomide together with prednisone and cyclophosphamide may lessen symptoms caused by myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving thalidomide together with prednisone and cyclophosphamide works in treating patients with myelofibrosis and myeloid metaplasia.
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DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
* Histologically confirmed myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM) of any of the following subtypes:
* Agnogenic myeloid metaplasia
* Post-polycythemic myeloid metaplasia
* Post-thrombocythemic myeloid metaplasia
* Must have 1 of the following MMM-related conditions:
* Anemia, defined as hemoglobin \< 10 g/dL
* Iron deficiency must be excluded as cause
* Thrombocytopenia, defined as platelet count \< 100,000/mm³
* Palpable hepatomegaly or splenomegaly
* No evidence of myelofibrosis-associated conditions in the bone marrow, including any of the following:
* Metastatic carcinoma
* Lymphoma
* Myelodysplasia
* Hairy cell leukemia
* Mast cell disease
* Acute leukemia (including M7 type)
* Acute myelofibrosis
* No chromosomal translocation t(9:22) or bcr-abl as determined by bone marrow chromosome analysis or peripheral blood fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
* ECOG performance status 0-3
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 750/mm³
* Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN), unless elevation due to MMM
* AST ≤ 5 times ULN, unless elevation due to MMM
* Creatinine ≤ 2.5 mg/dL
* No uncontrolled infection, including tuberculosis
* No known history of positive purified protein derivative (PPD) untreated by isoniazid therapy
* Positive PPD with normal chest X-ray and completion of full-course isoniazid therapy allowed
* No federal medical center inmates or other incarcerated patients
* No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No comorbid condition in which the use of study therapy is felt to be potentially harmful
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use 2 forms of effective contraception
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
* No chemotherapy (e.g., hydroxyurea, myelosuppressive therapy) within the past 14 days
* Prior splenectomy for MMM allowed
* No concurrent hematopoietic growth factors