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 I trial to study the effectiveness of carmustine wafers plus irinotecan in treating patients with recurrent supratentorial high grade gliomas.

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: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of high-dose thiotepa plus peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients with refractory solid tumors.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs such as tamoxifen may make the tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining radiation therapy with tamoxifen in treating patients who have newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Temsirolimus 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. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective when given together with temsirolimus or temozolomide in treating patients with glioblastoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying giving radiation therapy together with temsirolimus to see how well it works compared with giving radiation therapy together with temozolomide in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a person's tumor cells and dendritic cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of vaccine therapy in treating patients undergoing surgery for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and carboplatin, 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. An autologous peripheral stem cell transplant 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 I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of ifosfamide when given together with paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by an autologous stem cell transplant and to see how well they work in treating patients with germ cell tumors that did not respond to cisplatin.

RATIONALE: Pemetrexed disodium may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Studying samples of cerebrospinal fluid and blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn how pemetrexed disodium works in the body and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects and how well pemetrexed disodium works in treating patients with leptomeningeal metastases.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vandetanib when given together with radiation therapy in treating young patients with newly diagnosed diffuse brain stem glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, ifosfamide, and paclitaxel, 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. Colony-stimulating factors, such as pegfilgrastim, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help the immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving combination chemotherapy together with pegfilgrastim works in treating patients with previously untreated germ cell tumors.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs, such as cytochlor and tetrahydrouridine, may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of cytochlor when given together with tetrahydrouridine and external-beam radiation therapy in treating patients with cancer that has spread to the brain.