Active clinical trials for "Nervous System Neoplasms"

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: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as high-dose methotrexate work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemoprotective drugs, such as leucovorin calcium, may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects, best way to give, and best dose of high-dose methotrexate in treating patients with solid tumors.

RATIONALE: Enzastaurin 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. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of enzastaurin in treating young patients with refractory primary brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Everolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking some of the blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer 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 in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and topotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Tamoxifen may help carboplatin work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects of giving carboplatin and topotecan together with tamoxifen and to see how well it works in treating patients with central nervous system metastases or recurrent brain or spinal cord tumors.

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.

RATIONALE: 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. Giving radiation therapy together with temozolomide may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy and temozolomide are more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating glioblastoma multiforme. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy and temozolomide to see how well they work compared with radiation therapy alone in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells 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 bevacizumab together with irinotecan may kill more tumors cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects of bevacizumab and how well giving bevacizumab together with irinotecan works in treating patients with recurrent or refractory gliomas.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. 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. Giving radiation therapy in different ways and giving it together with more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating medulloblastoma, supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), or ependymoma. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying six different radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy regimens to compare how well they work in treating young patients with medulloblastoma, PNET, or ependymoma.