Radiation Therapy Combined With Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Anaplastic Astrocytoma or Mixed Gliomas

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically proven unifocal anaplastic astrocytoma or mixed gliomas, including the following:
• * Anaplastic astrocytoma
• * Mixed oligodendroglial/astrocytic tumors
• * Oligodendroglial component must be no greater than 25%
• No vascular proliferation and necrosis
• Increased cellularity, pleomorphism, and nuclear atypia allowed
• No tumor predominantly located in the posterior fossa (i.e., brainstem or cerebellum)
• Patients with prior biopsy proven low grade astrocytoma who now have anaplastic astrocytoma and have had no prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy also eligible
• Study therapy must begin within 6 weeks of diagnosis
• No spinal cord tumors, spinal drop metastases, or metastases to noncontiguous meninges
• * Pathologic evidence of local meningeal infiltration by underlying tumor allowed
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• Karnofsky 60-100%
• Life expectancy:
• At least 1 year
• Hematopoietic:
• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 150,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) less than 2 times ULN
• Alkaline phosphatase less than 2 times ULN
• Renal:
• Blood urea nitrogen no greater than 25 mg/dL
• Creatinine less than 1.5 times normal
• Pulmonary:
• No pre-existing lung disease that, in the investigator's opinion, would preclude administration of carmustine or lomustine or completion of therapy
• Other:
• No other major medical illness or psychiatric impairment that would preclude study compliance
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No known hypersensitivity to 1 of the components of carmustine, lomustine, temozolomide, dacarbazine, or any other nitrosourea
• No active infection
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No prior biologic therapy
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior radiotherapy to brain or head and neck
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• No other concurrent anticancer treatment for anaplastic astrocytoma until a recurrence is detected