Active clinical trials for "Nervous System Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to determine the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapy in treating patients who have primary or metastatic melanoma or brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with bone marrow transplantation or peripheral stem cell transplantation works in treating patients with relapsed germ cell cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying two different combination chemotherapy regimens and comparing how well they work in treating children with low-grade astrocytomas or other residual tumors of the brain.

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 irinotecan plus carmustine in treating patients who have recurrent primary malignant glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug and combining chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation or peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow doctors to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus bone marrow transplantation or peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have oligodendroglioma.

RATIONALE: Imatinib mesylate may interfere with the growth of tumor cells and slow the growth of the tumor. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of imatinib mesylate in treating patients who have gliomas.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of sarCNU in treating patients who have recurrent malignant glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of topotecan in treating patients with recurrent brain tumor.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Motexafin gadolinium may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of motexafin gadolinium plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of carmustine in treating adults with recurrent supratentorial low-grade glioma.