Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient is at least 18 years old

• Patient has an established diagnosis of one of the following:

  1. Intermediate-high risk MDS
  2. Refractory or relapsed AML
  3. Untreated AML (if patient is not a candidate for standard cytotoxic chemotherapy)
• Patient is at least 4 weeks from prior treatment and has recovered from all prior treatment side effects
• Patient has no known liver or kidney problems
• Patient knows of no reason they can not receive transfusions of blood clotting cells (platelets)
• Patient is able to swallow capsules
• Patients both male and female are willing to practice birth control during the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient has received prior treatment with valproic acid, decitabine or azacitidine
• Being is less than 18 years of age or if patient has untreated AML is below 60 years of age
• Patient is a female who is pregnant or breastfeeding
• Patient has an active infection that requires antibiotics
• Patient has uncontrolled illness including but not limited to the following: heart problems (congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia), inflammation of the pancreas
• Patient has a mental or social condition that may interfere with patient following study procedures
• Patient has known HIV infection or HIV-related malignancy
• Patient has a known history of hepatitis B or C infection
• Patient has a known allergy or hypersensitivity to any component of vorinostat or decitabine
• Patient currently has another active cancer other than certain types of skin cancer