Active clinical trials for "Central Nervous System Neoplasms"

The goal of Part I of this clinical research study is to find the highest tolerable dose of TPI 287 that can be given with bevacizumab to patients with glioblastoma. The goal of Part II is to learn if TPI 287 when given with bevacizumab can help to control glioblastoma better than when bevacizumab is given alone. The safety of the drug combination will also be studied. TPI 287 is similar to a type of chemotherapy drug called a taxane and is designed to block a protein (tubulin) that helps the cancer cells divide. By blocking the tubulin, the drug may be able to cause the cancer cells to shrink or stop growing. Bevacizumab is designed to prevent or slow down the growth of cancer cells by blocking the growth of blood vessels.

Independently, both lenalidomide and vorinostat have shown promising activity in pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors. These are both agents that are not typically part of first-line studies, although both agents are of serious interest and are currently in clinical trials for further investigation. This study is to evaluate the combination of lenalidomide and vorinostat in high grade or progressive central nervous system tumors in children.

RATIONALE: Rosiglitazone may help pituitary adenoma cells become more like normal cells, and grow and spread more slowly. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well rosiglitazone works in treating patients with newly diagnosed or residual or recurrent pituitary adenoma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as O(6)-benzylguanine and temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving O(6)-benzylguanine together with temozolomide works in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme that did not respond to previous temozolomide and radiation therapy.

Primary Objective will be to evaluate the use of Ga-67 citrate as an alternative radiopharmaceutical for CSF imaging. Secondary Objective will be to evaluate the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics and radiation dosimetry of In 111 DTPA and gallium-67 after intrathecal injection during remission of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) and during LM occurrence, remission and recurrence.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as topotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Colony-stimulating factors, such as G-CSF, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help the immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Topotecan may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy . Giving topotecan and G-CSF together with radiation therapy may be an effective treatment for brain stem glioma. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of topotecan when given together with G-CSF and radiation therapy and to see how well they work in treating young patients with newly diagnosed brain stem glioma.

RATIONALE: Giving the herb Boswellia serrata after surgery and radiation therapy may slow the growth of any remaining tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving Boswellia serrata together with standard treatment is more effective than standard treatment alone in treating high-grade gliomas. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is the study of a combination of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) herbal supplement intervention as an adjuvant to standard treatment of patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG). The central hypothesis of this application is that a herbal preparation that inhibits 5-LO activity, will produce measurable biologically meaningful decrease in 5-LO eicosanoid production and brain edema that will be associated with improved survival and quality of life in patients with HGG.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells, but also damages normal cells in the developing brains of children. Combining low-dose radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy should be effective in treating medulloblastoma while avoiding the long-term side effects of giving higher dose radiation to children with newly diagnosed average risk medulloblastoma.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays and other sources to damage tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy in different ways may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of indium In 111 pentetreotide in treating patients who have refractory cancer.

RATIONALE: Gene therapy may improve the body's ability to fight cancer or make the cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of gene therapy together with chemotherapy in treating patients with advanced solid tumors or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.