Karenitecin in Treating Patients With Recurrent Malignant Glioma

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed anaplastic astrocytoma, anaplastic oligodendroglioma, or glioblastoma multiforme
• •Progressive or recurrent disease previously treated with radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy
• •* Prior low-grade disease that progressed to high-grade after therapy allowed
• •Measurable disease by 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
• •Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3
• •Hemoglobin at least 8.5 g/dL
• •Hepatic:
• •Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• •Transaminases no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal
• •Renal:
• •Creatinine no greater than 1.7 mg/dL
• •Other:
• •No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast
• •No serious concurrent infection
• •No other medical illness that would preclude study
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
• •No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •Must be on stable dose of steroids for at least 5 days
• •Radiotherapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •At least 3 months since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• •No more than 1 prior course of radiotherapy
• •Surgery:
• •Not specified
• •Other:
• •No other concurrent investigational agents
• •At least 10 days since prior anticonvulsant drugs that induce hepatic metabolic enzymes