Fluorine F 18 Fluorodopa-Labeled PET Scan in Planning Surgery and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed High- or Low-Grade Malignant Glioma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine correlation between 18F-FDOPA PET activity, MRI contrast enhancement, and high- or low-grade glioma biopsies. II. To compare radiotherapy target volume delineation with and without 18F- FDOPA-PET metabolic imaging information to determine role of metabolic imaging in radiotherapy treatment planning. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine correlation between concordance of 18F-FDOPA PET activity, MRI contrast enhancement, and high- or low-grade glioma biopsies and patient outcomes including overall survival and progression free survival. OUTLINE: Beginning at no more than 1 week before biopsy and resection, patients undergo fluorine F 18 fluorodopa-labeled PET/CT scan and pre-operative MRI. Patients then undergo stereotactic craniotomy. Some patients may also undergo radiation therapy. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every year for 5 years.