Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Recurrent Ewing's Family of Tumors or Desmoplastic Small Round-Cell Tumor

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Diagnosis of Ewing's family of tumors OR desmoplastic small round-cell tumor
• •Must have immunohistochemical evidence of expression of greater than 2+/4+ for either Kit (CD117) or platelet-derived growth factor receptor -a or -b
• •No symptomatic brain metastases
• •* Asymptomatic brain metastases are allowed provided patient is not on concurrent anticonvulsants or corticosteroids
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •Over 16
• •Performance status
• •ECOG 0-2
• •Life expectancy
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic
• •Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL
• •Hepatic
• •Bilirubin less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• •SGOT and SGPT less than 2.5 times ULN
• •No chronic active hepatitis
• •No cirrhosis
• •No other acute or known chronic liver disease
• •Renal
• •Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN
• •Cardiovascular
• •No concurrent poorly controlled or severe cardiovascular disease
• •Pulmonary
• •No concurrent poorly controlled or severe pulmonary disease
• •Other
• •HIV negative
• •No concurrent poorly controlled or severe central nervous system disease
• •No other concurrent poorly controlled or severe nonmalignant disease
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• •Endocrine therapy
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •Radiotherapy
• •At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• •Surgery
• •More than 2 weeks since prior major surgery
• •Other
• •More than 28 days since prior investigational agents