Active clinical trials for "Nervous System Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Tamoxifen may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Giving radiation therapy together with temozolomide, tamoxifen, and carboplatin may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving radiation therapy together with temozolomide, tamoxifen, and carboplatin works in treating patients with malignant gliomas.

RATIONALE: Studying blood samples from cancer patients undergoing pain treatment in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about how pain drugs work in the body. It may also help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at fentanyl in patients with cancer.

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. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy after chemotherapy may kill any remaining tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with or without radiation therapy works in treating children with brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as methotrexate, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well high-dose methotrexate works in treating young patients with residual ependymoma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin 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 how well giving cisplatin together with temozolomide works in treating young patients with 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 carmustine in treating patients who have progressive or recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

In this trial, we will treat newly diagnosed PCNSL with temozolomide, nedaplatin, vincristine (TNV) as the replacement of high-dose methotrexate to combine with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Our objective was to assess our treatment strategies' availability based on response rates, progression-free survival (PFS), median PFS, and toxicity.

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. An autologous stem cell transplant may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects of giving high-dose chemotherapy together with stem cell transplant and to see how well it works in treating patients with metastatic germ cell tumors that have not responded to first-line therapy.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as hydroxyurea, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Imatinib mesylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether hydroxyurea is more effective when given alone or together with imatinib mesylate in treating patients with meningioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well hydroxyurea works compared with giving hydroxyurea together with imatinib mesylate in treating patients with recurrent or progressive meningioma.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as lomustine, vincristine, and cisplatin, 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 combination chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying giving radiation therapy together with combination chemotherapy to see how well it works in treating young patients with metastatic medulloblastoma who have undergone surgery.