Intervention: Imatinib
Trial phase: Phase 2
ATC code: L01EA01 | L01XE01
SMILES: Cc1ccc(NC(=O)c2ccc(CN3CCN(C)CC3)cc2)cc1Nc1nccc(-c2cccnc2)n1
Sex: All
Age groups: Adult | Older Adult
Healthy volunteers: No
Participants at risk: 22
Group description: Patients receive oral imatinib mesylate once or twice daily. Courses repeat every 4 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Other: pharmacological study/ laboratory biomarker analysis

imatinib mesylate: Given orally

laboratory biomarker analysis: Correlative studies

pharmacological study: Correlative studies
Eligibility criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

Histologically confirmed meningioma

Benign, malignant, or atypical disease
Neurofibromatosis (NF) type 1 or 2 allowed
Hemangiopericytoma allowed
Unequivocal evidence of tumor recurrence or progression by MRI or CT scan (on steroid dosage that is stable for at least 5 days)
Evaluable residual disease by MRI or CT scan if previously treated with surgical resection for recurrent or progressive disease
Newly diagnosed recurrent disease that requires surgical debulking allowed

Prior standard external-beam radiotherapy, interstitial brachytherapy, or gamma-knife radiosurgery allowed provided disease has progressed since completion of therapy

Patients who have had prior brachytherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery must have confirmation of true progressive disease rather than radiation necrosis based upon positron-emission tomography or thallium scanning, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or surgical documentation
Patients with a history of NF may have other stable Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors (e.g., schwannoma, acoustic neuroma, or ependymoma) provided those lesions have been stable in size for the past 6 months
Performance status - Karnofsky 60-100%
More than 8 weeks
Absolute neutrophil count at least 2,000/mm^3
Platelet count at least 120,000/mm^3
Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL (transfusions allowed)
No bleeding disorders
Bilirubin less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) less than 2 times ULN
Prothrombin Time (PT), Partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and International normalized Ratio (INR) no greater than 1.5 times ULN
Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL
Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
No deep venous or arterial thrombosis within the past 6 weeks
No pulmonary embolism within the past 6 weeks
No serious active infection
No prior intracranial hemorrhage
No concurrent disease that would obscure toxicity or dangerously alter drug metabolism
No other malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix unless the patient is in complete remission and off all therapy for that disease for at least 3 years
No other significant medical illness that would preclude study participation
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
At least 1 week since prior interferon or thalidomide
No concurrent immunotherapy
Concurrent epoetin alfa allowed
At least 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy
At least 2 weeks since prior vincristine
At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas
At least 3 weeks since prior hydroxyurea or procarbazine
No concurrent chemotherapy
At least 1 week since prior tamoxifen
No concurrent hormonal therapy
At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
No concurrent radiotherapy
Recovered from prior surgery
Recovered from all prior therapy
At least 1 week since prior noncytotoxic therapy (e.g., isotretinoin) except radiosensitizers
At least 2 weeks since prior drugs that affect hepatic metabolism
At least 4 weeks since prior investigational agents
No concurrent warfarin (heparin or low-molecular weight heparin allowed)
No other concurrent investigational agents
No concurrent acetaminophen of more than 500 mg/day
No other concurrent anticancer therapy