Palifermin in Preventing Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Patients Who Have Undergone Donor Stem Cell Transplant for Hematologic Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Survival for more than 60 days after an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with growth-factor mobilized blood cells
Current dose of prednisone at =< 0.5 mg/kg or equivalent or no systemic glucocorticoid treatment
Ability to remain under care at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) for at least 28 days after enrollment in the study
Able and willing to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Presence of generalized rash involving more than 50% of the body surface
Prior diagnosis of chronic GVHD requiring systemic immunosuppressive treatment
Any prior local irradiation to a field that included the thymus (total body irradiation is allowed)
History of thymectomy
Use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin in the pretransplant conditioning regimen
Use of a graft depleted of T cells
Any evidence of recurrent or persistent malignancy after HCT
Participation in another study with chronic GVHD as the primary endpoint
Any prior history of carcinoma
Any infection that is not improving during appropriate treatment
History of palifermin intolerance
A positive pregnancy test (women of child-bearing potential)
Breast feeding