DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of primary and post essential thrombocythemia (ET) or post polycythemia vera (PV) myelofibrosis requiring therapy

  • De novo presentation (i.e., agnogenic myeloid metaplasia AND post ET or post PV myelofibrosis)
  • Developed after an antecedent history of PV (i.e., post polycythemic myeloid metaplasia) or essential polycythemia (i.e., post thrombocythemic myeloid metaplasia)
• Total hemoglobin < 10 g/dL OR transfusion dependent anemia (defined by a history of ≥ 2 units of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions within the past 28 days for hemoglobin < 8.5 g/dL that was not associated with overt bleeding) OR marked splenomegaly (e.g., ≥ 10 cm below costal margin)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 500/μL
• Platelet count ≥ 20,000/μL
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (≤ 5 times ULN if attributed to hepatic extramedullary hematopoiesis)
• Total bilirubin ≤ 3 times ULN OR direct bilirubin ≤ 2 times ULN
• Serum creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective double-method contraception for ≥ 28 days before, during, and for ≥ 28 days after completion of study treatment
• Agrees to abstain from donating blood, semen, or sperm during and for ≥ 28 days after completion of study treatment
• Willing to undergo transfusion of blood products (if applicable)
• Able to complete questionnaire(s) alone or with assistance
• No known HIV positivity, hepatitis B carrier, or active hepatitis C infection
• No serious medical condition, psychiatric illness, or any other condition, including the presence of laboratory abnormalities, that (as judged by the treating physician) would preclude giving informed consent or participating in the study or confound the ability to interpret data from the study
• No other active malignancies, except basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast
• No active deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism that has not been therapeutically anticoagulated

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Recovered from all prior therapy
• No prior CC-4047
• More than 28 days since prior growth factors, cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., hydroxyurea or anagrelide), corticosteroids, or experimental drugs or therapies
• No other concurrent experimental drugs or therapies or cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., hydroxyurea or anagrelide) for myelofibrosis
• No concurrent growth factors (including erythropoietin) for myelofibrosis, except G-CSF or pegfilgrastim
• No concurrent chronic use (i.e., > 2 weeks) of more than physiologic doses of corticosteroids (dose equivalent to > 10 mg/day of prednisone)