Oxaliplatin in Treating Children With Recurrent or Refractory Medulloblastoma, Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor, or Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor

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 oxaliplatin in treating children who have recurrent or refractory medulloblastoma, supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal or atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor.

OBJECTIVES:

* Estimate the objective response rate to oxaliplatin in pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory medulloblastoma at first progression.
* Estimate the objective response rate to oxaliplatin in pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory medulloblastoma at second or later relapse.
* Estimate the objective response rate to oxaliplatin in pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor, or atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor.
* Describe the pharmacokinetics of this drug in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to tumor type (medulloblastoma \[measurable disease at first relapse vs positive cerebrospinal fluid or linear leptomeningeal disease vs measurable disease at second or later progression\] vs supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor vs atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor).

Patients receive oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 17 courses (1 year) in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 65 patients will be accrued for this study within 1.5-2.8 years.

Eligibility Criteria:
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed medulloblastoma, supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (including pineoblastomas and ependymoblastomas), or atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor

  * Recurrent or refractory disease
* Measurable disease by radiography
* Patients with positive cerebrospinal fluid cytology or linear leptomeningeal disease are eligible

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 21 and under

Performance status

* Karnofsky 50-100% OR
* Lansky 50-100%

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent)
* Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL (RBC transfusions allowed)

Hepatic

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal
* ALT less than 2.5 times normal

Renal

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times normal OR
* Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate at least 70 mL/min

Cardiovascular

* Shortening fraction at least 27% by echocardiogram OR
* Ejection fraction at least 50% by MUGA

Pulmonary

* No dyspnea at rest
* No exercise intolerance
* Pulse oximetry greater than 94%

Other

* No uncontrolled infection
* No active graft-versus-host disease
* No uncontrolled seizure disorders

  * Seizure disorders well controlled with anticonvulsants allowed
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* At least 2 weeks since prior growth factors
* At least 6 months since prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation
* No concurrent colony-stimulating factors during the first course of study
* No concurrent immunomodulating agents

Chemotherapy

* At least 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive therapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
* No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* If concurrent corticosteroids necessary for intracranial pressure, must be on stable or decreasing dose for at least 1 week prior to study
* No other concurrent corticosteroids

Radiotherapy

* At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiotherapy (small port) to symptomatic metastatic sites
* At least 3 months since prior craniospinal radiotherapy
* No concurrent palliative radiotherapy
* Recovered from prior radiotherapy

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* No other concurrent anticancer or experimental drugs