Atrasentan in Treating Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Malignant Glioma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed malignant glioma
• * Anaplastic astrocytoma
• * Anaplastic oligodendroglioma
• * Glioblastoma multiforme
• Progressive or recurrent after prior radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy
• * Prior low-grade glioma that has 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/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• Transaminases no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal
• Hepatitis A, B, and C negative
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.7 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No New York Heart Association class II, III, or IV cardiac disease
• Other:
• HIV negative
• Mini mental score at least 15
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ or basal cell skin cancer
• No serious concurrent infection
• No other concurrent medical illness that would preclude study entry
• No alcoholism or drug addiction within the past 6 months
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No concurrent anticancer immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
• No prior or concurrent polifeprosan 20 with carmustine implant (Gliadel wafer)
• No prior atrasentan
• No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• No concurrent anticancer hormonal therapy
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 months since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent anticancer radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• No concurrent anticancer surgery
• Other:
• Recovered from prior therapy
• No more than 1 prior treatment regimen
• No other concurrent investigational agents