Active clinical trials for "Nervous System Neoplasms"

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: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy using paclitaxel and topotecan, plus G-CSF, in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme or anaplastic astrocytoma that is refractory or recurrent.

RATIONALE: Inserting the gene for herpes virus into a person's cells may improve the body's ability to fight cancer or make the cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy using antiviral drugs such as ganciclovir. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectivenesss of gene therapy in treating patients with primary brain tumors.

Cancer is a frequent disease considering that one person out of three will be confronted with it in their lifetime. Cancer patients often express complaints related to cognitive impairment as an outcome of their oncological treatment. These cognitive disorders have a significant impact on the patient's and their carer's quality of life. Therefore, it appears necessary to have a reliable, quick and simple tool in order to detect cognitive impairment. The rationale of this study relies on 3 main points : The cognitive complaint frequently reported by cancer patients The difficulty in reliably demonstrating the cause of this complaint through conventional neuropsychological tests The interest of cognitive processing speed as an indicator of cognitive dysfunction The primary objective of the study is to evaluate a potential variation of cognitive processing speed at the Saint-Louis Lille Battery (SSLIB) between the beginning and during (4 months after the beginning) the oncological treatment of adults with breast cancer or colon cancer.

RATIONALE: Veliparib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide. work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving veliparib together with temozolomide may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This randomized phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of giving veliparib together with temozolomide and to see how well it works in treating patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

RATIONALE: Boron neutron capture therapy and radiation therapy use high-energy x-rays and other types of radiation to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving boron neutron capture therapy followed by radiation therapy and temozolomide may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects of giving boron neutron capture therapy together with radiation therapy and temozolomide in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Everolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving everolimus together with temozolomide and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of everolimus when given together with temozolomide and radiation therapy and to see how well it works in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

This study is a Phase I study using vinblastine and sirolimus in patients with relapsed solid tumors including selected brain tumors and lymphoma. The investigators hypothesis is that the combination administration of weekly vinblastine and sirolimus is safe.

This Phase I clinical trial is studying the side effects and best dose of ABT-888 when given together with Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) in treating patients with brain metastases.

RATIONALE: Sometimes a tumor may not need treatment until it progresses. In this case, observation may be sufficient. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor, such as 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy, may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. It is not yet known whether observation is more effective than radiation therapy in treating patients with meningioma. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying observation to see how well it works compared with radiation therapy in treating patients with grade I, grade II, or grade III meningioma.

Dasatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. This randomized phase I/II trial is studying the best dose of dasatinib and to see how well it works compared with a placebo when given together with radiation therapy and temozolomide in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.