Purpose

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as idarubicin and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Pravastatin may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Pravastatin may also help idarubicin and cytarabine work better by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drugs. Giving idarubicin and cytarabine together with pravastatin may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving idarubicin and cytarabine together with pravastatin works in treating patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: S0919 was initially designed for patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where the patient's preceding remission had lasted ≥ 3 months. The null response rate was 30%. The study closed to accrual on Nov 1, 2012 after meeting the defined criterion for a positive study; and the results are being submitted to the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. Based on the promising results from this trial, the trial has now been amended to evaluate this therapeutic regimen in poor-risk patients (patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) arising out of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the patient's preceding remission lasting < 6 months).