Antineoplaston Therapy in Treating Children With Low-Grade Astrocytoma

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2004-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Current therapies for children with low grade astrocytomas that have not responded to standard therapy provide limited benefit to the patient. The anti-cancer properties of Antineoplaston therapy suggest that it may prove beneficial in the treatment of children with low grade astrocytomas that have not responded to standard therapy

PURPOSE: This study is being performed to determine the effects (good and bad) that Antineoplaston therapy has on children (> 6 months of age) with low grade astrocytomas that has not responded to standard therapy.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Burzynski Research Institute

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed low grade astrocytoma.

• Evidence of persistent or progressive tumor after standard therapy by MRI scan performed within 2 weeks prior to study entry

• Tumor must be at least 5 mm

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 6 months to 17 years

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 2 months

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 2,000/mm^3

• Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 2.5 mg/dL

• SGOT/SGPT no greater than 5 times upper limit of normal

• No hepatic failure

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 2.5 mg/dL

• No history of renal conditions that contraindicate high dosages of sodium

Cardiovascular:

• No severe heart disease

• No uncontrolled hypertension

• No history of congestive heart failure

• No other cardiovascular conditions that contraindicate high dosages of sodium

Pulmonary:

• No severe lung disease

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing

• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 weeks after study participation

• No serious active infections or fever

• No other serious concurrent disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered

• No concurrent immunomodulating agents

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered

• No concurrent antineoplastic agents

Endocrine therapy:

• Concurrent corticosteroids for cerebral edema allowed (must be on stable dose for at least 1 week prior to study entry)

Radiotherapy:

• At least 8 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery:

• Not specified

Other:

• No prior antineoplaston therapy