TP-38 Toxin in Treating Young Patients With Recurrent or Progressive Supratentorial High-Grade Glioma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed supratentorial malignant glioma
• * Recurrent or progressive disease
• Amenable to gross total resection, clinically indicated partial resection, or biopsy
• Tumor must have a single solid portion at least 1 cm and no greater than 5 cm in maximum diameter
• * No tumor crossing midline
• * Tumors invading the corpus callosum that do not extend beyond to midline or into the contralateral hemisphere allowed
• * No more than 1 focus of tumor
• * No tumors involving the brainstem or cerebellum
• * No tumor dissemination (i.e., subependymal or leptomeningeal)
• Must be on steroids ≥ 3 days prior to surgery
• Must have received prior external beam radiotherapy (tumor dose at least 45 Gy) and completed therapy at least 8 weeks before study entry
• No impending herniation, including midline shift greater than 0.5 cm
• No requirement for immediate palliative treatment
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 3 to 21
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 60-100% (patients over 16 years of age) OR
• Lansky 60-100% (patients age 16 and under)
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3\*
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL\* NOTE: \*Transfusion independent
• Hepatic
• ALT and AST less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• PT and PTT no greater than ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine less than 1.5 times normal OR
• Glomerular filtration rate greater than 70 mL/min
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 30 days after study participation
• No uncontrolled seizures
• No active infection requiring treatment
• No unexplained febrile illness
• No known or suspected allergies to local anesthetics
• No systemic disease or other condition that may be associated with unacceptable anesthetic/operative risk and/or that would preclude study completion
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ or basal cell skin cancer
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 8 weeks since prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• Chemotherapy
• At least 6 months since prior polifeprosan 20 with carmustine implant (Gliadel® wafer)
• At least 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas and 2 weeks for vincristine)
• At least 2 weeks since prior non-cytotoxic chemotherapy
• No other prior intracerebral chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Concurrent steroids allowed
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior focal radiotherapy (e.g., gamma knife radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, or brachytherapy)
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• Recovered from prior therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior anticancer investigational agents
• No prior localized antitumor therapy for malignant glioma
• No other concurrent investigational agent
• No other concurrent anticancer (including alternative anticancer medicines/treatment) agent or therapy