OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate whether the addition of cyclosporine (CYSP) to mitoxantrone (DHAD) and etoposide (VP-16) increases the response rate and duration of response in adults with refractory or relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). II. Correlate response to this treatment with the presence of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) multidrug resistance (MDR) and the degree of in vitro modulation of leukemic blasts, including CD34+ blasts. III. Correlate response with the presence of other resistance mechanisms, such as atypical MDR and non-P-gp phenotype. IV. Evaluate the toxicity of this treatment in AML patients. V. Study the effect of CYSP on DHAD and VP-16 pharmacokinetics and metabolism and, potentially, on intracellular drug accumulation.