Active clinical trials for "Central Nervous System Neoplasms"

These are Phase 2 single-arm studies of gemcitabine in combination with oxaliplatin in refractory or relapsing pediatric solid tumors.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. 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. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving bevacizumab together with temozolomide and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving bevacizumab together with temozolomide and external beam radiation therapy works when given as first-line therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme or gliosarcoma.

RATIONALE: Bortezomib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving bortezomib together with temozolomide and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells and allow doctors to save the part of the body where the cancer started. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well bortezomib works when given together with temozolomide and regional radiation therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme or gliosarcoma.

This pilot clinical trial studies the side effects and the best way to give vorinostat with isotretinoin and combination chemotherapy and to see how well they work in treating younger patients with embryonal tumors of the central nervous system. Vorinostat may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as isotretinoin, vincristine sulfate, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide phosphate, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving vorinostat with isotretinoin and combination chemotherapy may be an effective treatment for embryonal tumors of the central nervous system. A peripheral blood 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.

RATIONALE: Giving an infusion of natural killer cells from a donor after a donor stem cell transplant may help kill any remaining cancer cells after the transplant. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of donor natural killer cells when given after a donor stem cell transplant in treating patients with advanced cancer.

In spite of numerous advances in neuroimaging techniques, the diagnosis of pediatric brain tumors relies on the pathologic evaluation of material obtained at the time of the initial operation. While 18F-FDG-positron emission tomography (PET) helps identify higher-grade lesions due to their increased glucose metabolism, the high tracer uptake of the normal adjacent brains makes this modality of limited value. Fluorine-18 fluorothymidine (FLT) is a new imaging agent that has two significant advantages in the imaging of CNS tumors. First, this agent detects cellular proliferation directly, and second, the normal brain does not take up the agent, making a positive area(s) easy to identify. Before embarking on a large pediatric disease stratified assessment of FLT imaging in pediatric neurooncology patients, the investigators are proposing a limited patient pilot study to evaluate the biodistribution, dosimetry and specificity of this compound when compared to immunohistochemical assessment of mitotic activity in newly diagnosed patients undergoing surgical resection.

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from peptides and a person's 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 and best dose of vaccine therapy in treating patients with malignant glioma.

RATIONALE: 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. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well temozolomide works in treating patients with supratentorial low-grade glioma.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well bevacizumab works in treating patients with recurrent or progressive glioma.

RATIONALE: Biological therapies, such as cellular adoptive immunotherapy, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. Aldesleukin may stimulate the white blood cells, including lymphokine-activated killer cells, to kill tumor cells. Giving cellular adoptive immunotherapy during or after surgery may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well cellular adoptive immunotherapy works in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme.