Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Malignant Glioma

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the dose-limiting toxicity and maximum tolerated dose of autologous dendritic cells pulsed with synthetic glioma-associated antigen (GAA) peptides in patients with malignant gliomas. * Determine survival, tumor progression, and cellular immune response in patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: Patients undergo leukapheresis for the collection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Autologous dendritic cells (DC) are prepared from autologous PBMC exposed to sargramostim (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), matured with a cytokine cocktail, and pulsed with synthetic glioma-associated antigen (GAA) peptides. Cohorts of patients receive escalating doses of GAA peptide-pulsed autologous dendritic cell vaccine until the maximum tolerated dose is determined. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed every 2 months for 1 year.