Efaproxiral Plus Carmustine in Treating Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Malignant Glioma

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed malignant glioma that is progressive or recurrent after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy
• •* Anaplastic astrocytoma
• •* Anaplastic oligodendroglioma
• •* Glioblastoma multiforme
• •Prior low-grade glioma allowed provided progression has occurred after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and then high-grade glioma is found on biopsy
• •Measurable disease by serial MRI or CT scan
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age:
• •18 and over
• •Performance status:
• •Karnofsky 60-100%
• •Life expectancy:
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic:
• •Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• •Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• •Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic:
• •Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• •SGOT and SGPT no greater than 3 times ULN
• •Renal:
• •Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •Pulmonary:
• •Resting oxygen saturation on room air at least 90% by pulse oximetry
• •FVC, DLCO, and FEV\_1 at least 50% of normal
• •Other:
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •No other serious concurrent medical illness that would preclude study compliance
• •No other prior malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •At least 3 weeks since prior investigational biologics
• •Chemotherapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •No prior nitrosoureas for glioma
• •No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
• •At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• •No prior efaproxiral
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •Concurrent corticosteroids (e.g., dexamethasone) allowed
• •Radiotherapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •At least 90 days since prior radiotherapy
• •Surgery:
• •Not specified
• •Other:
• •At least 3 weeks since other prior investigational drugs or devices