Radiation Therapy Combined With Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Anaplastic Astrocytoma or Mixed Gliomas

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven unifocal anaplastic astrocytoma or mixed gliomas, including the following:

• Anaplastic astrocytoma

• Mixed oligodendroglial/astrocytic tumors

• Oligodendroglial component must be no greater than 25%

• No vascular proliferation and necrosis

• Increased cellularity, pleomorphism, and nuclear atypia allowed

• No tumor predominantly located in the posterior fossa (i.e., brainstem or cerebellum)

• Patients with prior biopsy proven low grade astrocytoma who now have anaplastic astrocytoma and have had no prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy also eligible

• Study therapy must begin within 6 weeks of diagnosis

• No spinal cord tumors, spinal drop metastases, or metastases to noncontiguous meninges

• Pathologic evidence of local meningeal infiltration by underlying tumor allowed

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 1 year

Hematopoietic:

• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL

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

• Platelet count at least 150,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) less than 2 times ULN

• Alkaline phosphatase less than 2 times ULN

Renal:

• Blood urea nitrogen no greater than 25 mg/dL

• Creatinine less than 1.5 times normal

Pulmonary:

• No pre-existing lung disease that, in the investigator's opinion, would preclude administration of carmustine or lomustine or completion of therapy

Other:

• No other major medical illness or psychiatric impairment that would preclude study compliance

• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

• No known hypersensitivity to 1 of the components of carmustine, lomustine, temozolomide, dacarbazine, or any other nitrosourea

• No active infection

• Not pregnant or nursing

• Negative pregnancy test

• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No prior biologic therapy

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

• No prior radiotherapy to brain or head and neck

Surgery:

• Not specified

Other:

• No other concurrent anticancer treatment for anaplastic astrocytoma until a recurrence is detected