Tipifarnib in Treating Young Patients With Refractory Leukemia

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), or chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis * Refractory to standard curative therapy * Acute promyelocytic leukemia refractory to tretinoin and arsenic trioxide * Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML refractory to imatinib mesylate * Greater than 25% blasts in bone marrow (M3 bone marrow) except for patients with JMML * Active extramedullary disease allowed * No active leptomeningeal leukemia PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: * 21 and under Performance status: * Karnofsky 50-100% (over 10 years of age) * Lansky 50-100% (10 years of age and under) Life expectancy: * Not specified Hematopoietic: * Not required to be normal Hepatic: * Bilirubin normal * SGPT and SGOT normal * No significant hepatic dysfunction * No grade 3 or 4 liver function test results within the past month Renal: * Creatinine normal OR * Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min * No significant renal dysfunction Cardiovascular: * No significant cardiac dysfunction Pulmonary: * No significant pulmonary dysfunction Neurologic: * No history of grand mal seizures grade 3 or greater except febrile seizures * No persistent sensory or motor neuropathy greater than grade 2 Other: * No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness * No serious infection * No organ dysfunction that would preclude study participation * No requirement for total parenteral nutrition * No known allergy to azoles (e.g., clotrimazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: * At least 1 week since prior colony-stimulating factor therapy (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\] or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\]) except epoetin alfa * At least 3 months since prior myeloablative therapy followed by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation * No concurrent immunotherapy * No concurrent GM-CSF or interleukin-11 Chemotherapy: * At least 2 weeks since prior chemotherapy * No concurrent intrathecal chemotherapy * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: * At least 1 week since prior corticosteroids * No concurrent corticosteroids (except for acute allergic reaction) Radiotherapy: * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No concurrent radiotherapy Surgery: * Not specified Other: * Recovered from nonhematologic toxicity of all prior therapy * At least 1 week since prior retinoids * No antacids (magnesium- or aluminum-containing formulations) within 2 hours of study drug * No other concurrent investigational agents * No concurrent retinoids * No concurrent anticonvulsants