s9624 ifosfamide in treating patients with meningeal tumors

Conditions: Chondrosarcoma; Adult Fibrosarcoma; Adult Leiomyosarcoma; Adult Rhabdomyosarcoma; Adult Malignant Meningioma; Adult Brain Malignant Hemangiopericytoma

Summary: rationale: drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. purpose: phase ii trial to study the effectiveness of ifosfamide in treating patients with meningeal tumors that have recurred or that cannot be removed surgically.

objectives: * estimate failure free survival, overall survival, and response in patients with residual or recurrent/progressive aggressive meningeal tumors (malignant meningioma, hemangiopericytoma, and primary nervous system sarcoma) treated with ifosfamide. * evaluate toxicities of ifosfamide in this patient population. outline: all patients receive ifosfamide iv continuously over 72 hours on days 1-3 of each 21 day treatment course. patients are evaluated for response/progression after every 2 courses. patients with stable disease receive up to 8 courses of therapy. treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, then every 6 months thereafter. projected accrual: approximately 35 patients will be accrued for this study.

Eligibility criteria:
disease characteristics: * histologically proven recurrent or unresectable: * malignant meningioma * intracranial hemangiopericytoma * primary central nervous system sarcoma, including: * fibrosarcoma * rhabdomyosarcoma * chondrosarcoma * leiomyosarcoma * measurable or evaluable disease on ct or mri scan * persistent disease following biopsy or incomplete resection or * recurrent disease following complete resection * no benign meningioma * no prior or current systemic sarcoma patient characteristics: age: * 18 and over performance status: * swog 0-2 life expectancy: * not specified hematopoietic: * wbc at least 3,000/mm\^3 * absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3 * platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3 hepatic: * not specified renal: * creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dl cardiovascular: * no myocardial infarction within the past 3 months * no active angina * no unstable heart rhythms * no congestive heart failure other: * hiv negative * no allergy to study drugs * no serious concurrent medical or psychiatric illness * no uncontrolled peptic ulcer disease * no prior malignancy within past 5 years except adequately treated: * basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin * carcinoma in situ of the cervix * not pregnant or nursing * effective contraception required of fertile patients prior concurrent therapy: * recovered from toxic effects of prior therapy and/or from postoperative complications biologic therapy: * not specified chemotherapy: * no prior ifosfamide * no other concurrent chemotherapy endocrine therapy: * no concurrent hormonal therapy (except estrogen replacement therapy) * corticosteroids allowed if dose is stable or decreasing radiotherapy: * at least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * progressive disease following radiation required * no concurrent radiotherapy surgery: * see disease characteristics