COL-3 in Treating Patients With Progressive or Recurrent Brain Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven high grade glioma that is progressive or recurrent following radiotherapy or chemotherapy

  • Anaplastic astrocytoma
  • Anaplastic oligodendroglioma
  • Glioblastoma multiforme
• Prior low grade glioma that has progressed to high grade glioma following radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy allowed
• Measurable disease by MRI or CT scan

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin normal
• SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

• No myocardial infarction, stroke, or congestive heart failure within the past 3 months

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 1 month after study
• No serious active infection or medical illness that would preclude compliance
• HIV negative
• No history of gastrointestinal disorders that would interfere with absorption of study drug
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast, or basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
• No hypersensitivity to tetracyclines or its derivatives

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF)

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior large field radiotherapy (greater than 20% of total bone marrow)
• At least 3 months since other prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery:

• No prior major upper gastrointestinal surgery
• At least 14 days since other prior major surgery

Other:

• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No prolonged sun exposure