OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the efficacy of T-cell-depleted vs unmodified allogeneic marrow rescue with regard to disease-free survival, post-transplantation leukemic relapse rate, incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease, quality of engraftment and hematopoietic reconstitution, and immunoreconstitution following transplantation in patients with acute leukemia in first or second remission.