Thalidomide and Procarbazine in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Progressive Malignant Glioma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed malignant glioma Anaplastic astrocytoma Anaplastic oligodendroglioma Glioblastoma multiforme Anaplastic mixed oligoastrocytoma Progressive or recurrent disease* after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy NOTE: *Patients with prior low-grade glioma who progressed after therapy and are found to have high-grade glioma are eligible Measurable disease by MRI or CT scan PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age 18 and over Performance status Karnofsky 60-100% Life expectancy More than 2 months Hematopoietic Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3 Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3 Hepatic Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL Transaminases ≤ 4 times upper limit of normal Renal Creatinine ≤ 1.7 mg/dL Other Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use 1 highly active method and 1 additional effective method of contraception for 1 month before, during, and for 4 weeks after study treatment No concurrent serious infection No other concurrent medical illness that would preclude study treatment No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy No prior thalidomide No concurrent prophylactic filgrastim (G-CSF) Chemotherapy See Disease Characteristics At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) No prior procarbazine No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for malignant glioma Endocrine therapy Not specified Radiotherapy See Disease Characteristics At least 3 months since prior radiotherapy Other Recovered from prior therapy More than 7 days since prior antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and/or monamine oxidase inhibitors) No concurrent antidepressants No other concurrent investigational agents