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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in treating patients who have anaplastic oligodendroglioma.

RATIONALE: Biological therapy uses different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. Cytotoxic T cells combined with interleukin-2 may be an effective treatment for recurrent brain tumors. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of cytotoxic T cells and interleukin-2 in treating adults with recurrent brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells and may be an effective treatment for patients with anaplastic astrocytomas. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating patients with anaplastic astrocytomas.

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 topotecan plus carmustine in patients with 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 may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin and etoposide in treating patients with CNS tumors.

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 arsenic trioxide in treating children who have advanced neuroblastoma or other solid tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining temozolomide, thiotepa, and carboplatin followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation in treating patients who have brain cancer.

RATIONALE: Chemotherapy drugs such as sirolimus use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving a chemotherapy drug before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of sirolimus in treating patients who have glioblastoma multiforme that did not respond to previous radiation therapy.

RATIONALE: Thalidomide and celecoxib may stop the growth of tumor cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining thalidomide and celecoxib with etoposide and cyclophosphamide may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining thalidomide and celecoxib with etoposide and cyclophosphamide in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory malignant glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving a chemotherapy drug before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it is no longer present by conventional imaging and tumor markers from serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Combining different types of therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This Phase II trial is studying how well neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without surgery and with or without high dose chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation, can increase response rates prior to radiation therapy and increase progression free and overall surviving patients with newly diagnosed intracranial germ cell tumors.