Pilot Study of Erlotinib for the Treatment of Patients With de Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of AML with no history of previous clonal/malignant hematologic disorders such as myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disorders. * Newly diagnosed patients will be age 70 or older * Relapses patients will be age 60 or older any time following first relapse, if patient is not considered candidate/not interested in salvage chemotherapy. * Refractory disease patients will be age 18-59 who have failed at least 2 lines of conventional chemotherapy (1 induction and 1 salvage) * Patient must have discontinued all previous therapies for AML at least 14 days and recovered from the non-hematologic side effects of the therapy. * Laboratory tests must be within protocol-specified ranges * Patient must be able to swallow and tolerate oral medication. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with known central nervous system (CNS) leukemia by spinal fluid cytology, flow cytometry or imaging. * History of antecedent pre-leukemic hematologic disorders such as myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disorders. * Diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) * Patients who require chronic anticoagulation, are current smokers or who are taking rifabutin, rifapentine, phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital and St. John's Wort are not eligible. * Patients with active corneal erosions or history of abnormal corneal sensitivity test. * Patients with serious illness such as: significant ongoing or active infection, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Grade II or greater congestive heart failure, unstable angina (anginal symptoms at rest), new onset angina (began within the last 3 months), myocardial infarction within the past 6 months, cardiac ventricular arrhythmias requiring anti-arrhythmic therapy, cerebrovascular accident within past 3 months, or psychiatric illness that would limit compliance with the study requirements.