Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Who Have Received Chemotherapy

INCLUSION CRITERIA * Diagnostic bone marrow aspirate/ biopsy or peripheral blood confirming AML. * At the time of diagnosis, patients must have c-kit (also known as CD117) positive AML (20% or more of the blasts express c-kit\[CD117\]). * A flow scattergram (from the diagnostic AML specimen) must be available to calculate a c-kit MFI. * Patients must have received standard induction chemotherapy with ADE (cytarabine, daunorubicin, and etoposide) or with 7+3 (7 days of cytarabine continuous infusion and 3 days of an anthracycline (idarubicin, daunorubicin, or mitoxantrone). Patients with persistent leukemia on a Day 10-28 marrow may have received a second course of chemotherapy. * After the completion of induction therapy, patients must have attained a complete remission based on blood count recovery (neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/µL, platelet count ≥ 100,000/µL), and bone marrow aspirate and biopsy (\< 5% myeloblasts). * For patients \< 60 years of age, patients must have received at least 2 courses of post-remission therapy with at least intermediate dose (400 mg/m2/day). \*Patients with t(8;21) or inversion 16 at the time of diagnosis must have received at least 2 courses of high dose cytarabine. For patients \> or = 60 years of age, patients must have received 1 course of post-remission therapy (the type of chemotherapy will not be specified). * Patients must be registered on this study (maintenance Imatinib mesylate) within 60 days of the last dose of post-remission therapy. …