Antineoplaston Therapy in Treating Patients With Ependymoma

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2000-10-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Current therapies for patients with ependymoma provide limited benefit to the patient. The anti-cancer properties of Antineoplaston therapy suggest that it may prove beneficial in the treatment of patients with ependymoma .

PURPOSE: This study is being performed to determine the effects (good and bad) that Antineoplaston therapy has on patients with ependymoma.

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

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Burzynski Research Institute

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed ependymoma that is unlikely to respond to existing therapy and for which no curative therapy exists

• Evidence of residual tumor (>= 5mm) by MRI scan performed within two weeks prior to study entry

• No brain stem tumors

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 6 months and over

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 2 months

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 2,000/mm3

• Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm3

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 renal failure

• 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 history of 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

• 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 and recovered (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)

• 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)

Radiotherapy:

• At least 8 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery:

• Not specified

Other:

• No prior antineoplaston therapy