Active clinical trials for "Central Nervous System Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Collecting samples of tumor tissue and blood from patients with cancer to study in the laboratory may help doctors learn how patients respond to treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is looking at tumor tissue samples from patients receiving imatinib mesylate for malignant glioma to see how much imatinib mesylate is found in the tumor tissue.

RATIONALE: Imatinib mesylate, vatalanib, and hydroxyurea may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Vatalanib may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving imatinib mesylate and vatalanib together with hydroxyurea may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of imatinib mesylate and vatalanib when given together with hydroxyurea in treating patients with recurrent or relapsed malignant glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gossypol and temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Gossypol may help temozolomide work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug. Gossypol may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Giving gossypol and temozolomide together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of gossypol when given together with temozolomide with or without radiation therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs such as carboplatin and lobradimil may make the tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining radiation therapy with carboplatin and lobradimil in treating children who have newly diagnosed brain stem gliomas.

RATIONALE: Biological therapies such as ZD 1839 may interfere with the growth of tumor cells and slow the growth of glioblastoma multiforme. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of ZD 1839 in treating patients who have glioblastoma multiforme in first relapse.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Vaccines made from a person's white blood cells and tumor cells may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Interleukin-2 may stimulate a person's white blood cells to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and vaccine therapy followed by bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation and interleukin-2 in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory brain cancer.

RATIONALE: SCH 66336 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of SCH 66336 in treating children with recurrent or progressive brain tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of irofulven in treating patients who have progressive or recurrent astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, or glioblastoma multiforme.

RATIONALE: Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to determine the effectiveness of specialized radiation therapy either alone or after chemotherapy and second surgery in treating children who have undergone surgery for localized ependymoma.

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 taurolidine in treating patients who have recurrent or progressive glioma.