View clinical trials related to Brain Tumor.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy alone is as effective as chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating germ cell tumor. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy alone to see how well it works compared to chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed primary CNS germ cell tumor.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, thiotepa, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Isotretinoin may be effective in preventing recurrence of glioma. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation with or without isotretinoin is more effective in treating recurrent high-grade glioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying high-dose chemotherapy or intermediate-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation to see how well it works compared to high-dose chemotherapy or intermediate-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation and isotretinoin in treating young patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, vincristine, and temozolomide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This pilot study is studying giving carboplatin and vincristine together with temozolomide in treating children with progressive and/or symptomatic low-grade glioma.
RATIONALE: Cyproheptadine and megestrol may improve appetite and help prevent weight loss in children with cancer. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well cyproheptadine and megestrol work in improving appetite and preventing weight loss in children with cachexia caused by cancer or cancer treatment.
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.
The primary purpose of the study is to determine the efficacy of an investigational therapy called DCVax(R)-L in patients with newly diagnosed GBM for whom surgery is indicated. Patients must enter screening at a participating site prior to surgical resection of the tumor. Patients will receive the standard of care, including radiation and Temodar therapy and two out of three will additionally receive DCVax-L, with the remaining one third receiving a placebo. All patients will have the option to receive DCVax-L in a crossover arm upon documented disease progression. (note: DCVax-L when used for patients with brain cancer is sometimes also referred to as DCVax-Brain)
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 liposomal doxorubicin in treating children who have refractory solid tumors.
This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of treating brain tumors in children with a continuous infusion of phenylbutyrate. A breakdown product of this drug, phenylacetate, is normally found in low concentrations in the blood. At much higher concentrations, phenylbutyrate and phenylacetate are active against cancer in animals. Patients between 2 and 21 years old with a brain tumor that has progressed or recurred after radiation or chemotherapy, including bone marrow transplant, may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) of the head and, if needed, a spinal fluid test and bone marrow test. Study participants will have a continuous infusion of phenylbutyrate for two 28-day cycles-every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The medicine will be infused through a thin tube (catheter) placed in a large vein in the upper chest, delivered through a portable infusion pump. Patients will be hospitalized for at least 3 days when the treatment begins. If there are no side effects at that time, the infusions can continue on an outpatient basis. The patient or care giver will receive the medicine in 4-day supplies and will be taught how to change the bag and tubing daily for drug administration, as well as how to use the infusion pump. Patients will be monitored with weekly blood tests to look for side effects and measure blood levels of phenylbutyrate. They will have a physical examination at least once a week. At the end of the second 28-day cycle, patients will have a CT or MRI scan to evaluate the tumor's response to treatment. Patients whose tumor has grown will stop treatment and come off the study. Those whose tumor has remained stable or shrunk may continue phenylbutyrate as long as the treatment is beneficial and there are no serious side effects. CT or MRI scans will be done after every 2 cycles (or sooner if needed) to evaluate the treatment. Patients with certain tumor types (medulloblastoma, PNET, ependymoma, malignant germ cell tumor and pineoblastoma) or who have symptoms that indicate there might be tumor along the spinal cord may have a spinal tap. For this procedure, the patient lies on the side and a needle is inserted between two vertebrae (bones of the spine) in the lower back, into the cerebrospinal fluid space. A sample of fluid is drawn for testing for cancer cells. If the tumor has spread through the spinal fluid, a spinal tap will be done every other cycle (every 2 months) to monitor the effects of therapy.
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 more than one chemotherapy drug with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of temozolomide plus lomustine followed by radiation therapy in treating patients who have high-grade malignant glioma.