Active clinical trials for "Central Nervous System Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of gemcitabine when given together with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin, and to see how well they work in treating patients with progressive or relapsed metastatic germ cell tumors.

RATIONALE: CT-322 may stop the growth of glioblastoma multiforme by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as irinotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving CT-322 together with irinotecan may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase 2 trial is studying the side effects, tolerability, and efficacy of CT-322 when given alone and in combination with irinotecan to patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. A bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplant using stem cells from the patient may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. This may allow more chemotherapy to be given so that more tumor cells are killed. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy with or without etoposide followed by an autologous stem cell transplant works in treating young patients with previously untreated malignant brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Diagnostic procedures, such as MRI, may help doctors learn how efaproxiral works in the brain and help plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is using MRI to evaluate the effect of efaproxiral on the brain in patients with recurrent or progressive glioma receiving treatment on clinical trial NABTT-9806.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of liposomal cytarabine in treating young patients who have recurrent or refractory meningeal leukemia, lymphoma, or solid tumors.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Tamoxifen may kill tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cell growth. Combining radiation therapy with tamoxifen may be effective in treating newly diagnosed brain stem glioma. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining radiation therapy and tamoxifen in treating children who have newly diagnosed brain stem glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have primary CNS germ cell tumors.

RATIONALE: Lonafarnib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving lonafarnib together with temozolomide may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of lonafarnib when given together with temozolomide in treating patients with recurrent primary supratentorial glioma.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving radiation therapy in different ways with combination chemotherapy may kill any remaining tumor cells following surgery. It is not yet known which radiation therapy regimen combined with combination chemotherapy is more effective in treating medulloblastoma. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare different radiation therapy regimens plus combination chemotherapy in treating children who have undergone surgery for medulloblastoma.

This study is a single center, open-label, two-part study to assess image guided surgery of intramolecular imaging in nervous system tumors. Subjects with a diagnosis of a resectable nervous system tumor who are at risk of recurrence are included. The primary goal is to observe what tissues fluoresce in the OR, and then to identify if that tissue is cancerous/tumor or normal when the histopathology is performed.