Active clinical trials for "Central Nervous System Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to determine the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody in treating patients with recurrent gliomas.

RATIONALE: Thalidomide may stop the growth of glioblastoma multiforme 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 with irinotecan may kill any tumor cells remaining after radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining thalidomide with irinotecan in treating patients who have glioblastoma multiforme that has been treated with radiation therapy.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy such as boron neutron capture therapy may kill tumor cells without harming normal tissue. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of boron neutron capture therapy in treating patients who have glioblastoma multiforme or melanoma metastatic to the brain.

RATIONALE: Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and deliver radioactive tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. This may be effective treatment for primary or metastatic brain tumors. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of radiolabeled monoclonal antibody therapy in treating patients with primary or metastatic brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving drugs into the thin space between the lining of the spinal cord and brain may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of intrathecal busulfan in treating patients with recurrent, refractory, or metastatic leptomeningeal tumors.

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).