Procarbazine in Treating Patients With Recurrent Brain Tumor

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically proven malignant glioma of one of the following types:
• * Anaplastic astrocytoma
• * Anaplastic oligodendroglioma
• * Glioblastoma multiforme
• Progressive or recurrent disease after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy
• Measurable disease by serial MR or CT
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• Karnofsky 60-100%
• Life expectancy:
• Greater than 2 months
• Hematopoietic:
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• SGPT/SGOT no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.7 mg/dL
• Other:
• No serious concurrent infection
• No other illness that would preclude study
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No prior malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) during the first course
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (at least 6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas)
• No more than 2 prior courses of carmustine or lomustine and no greater than 460 mg/m2 or 220 mg/m2, respectively
• No prior procarbazine
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 months since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• Prior surgery allowed
• Other:
• Recovered from toxicity of prior therapy
• At least 10 days since prior anticonvulsants for patients in Arm II
• No concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent ethanol, ephedrine, isoproterenol, epinephrine, tricyclic antidepressants, paragyliline, narcotic analgesics, antihistamines, phenothiazines, hypotensives, or barbiturates
• At least 14 days since prior antidepressants (e.g., SSRI and/or MAO inhibitor)
• Must avoid foods high in tyramine (i.e., dark beer, wine, yogurt, cheese, bananas)