Thalidomide and Temozolomide in Relapsed or Progressive CNS Disease or Neuroblastoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed\* diagnosis of 1 of the following:
• * Poor prognosis brain tumor
• * Relapsed or progressive disease
• * No curative therapy exists
• * Neuroblastoma
• * Recurrent disease NOTE: \*Histologic confirmation not required for brain stem glioma; patients with brain stem glioma must have clinical and radiographic evidence of disease
• Patients with brain stem glioma must have symptoms lasting \< 3 months comprising cranial nerve deficits (often VI or VII) and/or ataxia and/or long tract signs
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 21 and under
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 50-100% OR
• Lansky 50-100%
• Life expectancy
• More than 2 months
• Hematopoietic
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
• Platelet count \> 75,000/mm\^3
• WBC \> 2,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2 times normal (SGOT ≤ 4 times normal for patients taking Zantac)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times normal
• No active hepatic disease ≥ grade 3
• Renal
• Creatinine \< 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 70 mL/min
• No active renal disease ≥ grade 3
• Cardiovascular
• No active cardiac disease ≥ grade 3
• Pulmonary
• No active pulmonary disease ≥ grade 3
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 weeks after study participation
• * Willing and able to participate in the System for Thalidomide Education and Prescription Safety (S.T.E.P.S.\^®) program
• No active psychiatric disease ≥ grade 3
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Prior biologic therapy allowed
• * No prior thalidomide
• Chemotherapy
• Prior chemotherapy allowed
• * No prior temozolomide
• Endocrine therapy
• Concurrent steroids allowed
• Radiotherapy
• Prior radiotherapy allowed
• Surgery
• Prior surgery allowed
• Other
• Concurrent antiseizure medications allowed
• No other concurrent investigational agents