Arsenic Trioxide in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Inclusion Criteria: * AML, any French- American- British (FAB) subtype except M3, with confirmed mutation in the NPM1 gene * Relapsed and/or refractory AML from any duration of complete remission (CR); any number of prior therapies allowed * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2, life expectancy \> 3 months * Serum creatinine =\< 2.0 mg/dL * Bilirubin =\< 2.0 mg/dL * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) =\< 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breast-feeding women will not be entered on this study due to risks of fetal and teratogenic adverse events as seen in animal/human studies; pregnancy tests must be obtained in women; sexually active males or females may not participate unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method * Patients who are currently receiving another investigational drug * Patients who are currently receiving other anti-cancer agents * Uncontrolled systemic fungal, bacterial, viral, or other infection (defined as exhibiting ongoing signs/symptoms related to the infection and without improvement, despite appropriate antibiotics or other treatment) * Known hypersensitivity to arsenic trioxide