PTC299 in Treating Young Patients With Refractory or Recurrent Primary Central Nervous System Tumors

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed diagnosis of primary central nervous system (CNS) malignancy at time of diagnosis or recurrence * Histology verification not required for intrinsic brain stem tumors and optic pathway gliomas * Must have radiographic evidence of progression * Recurrent, progressive, or refractory disease to standard therapy and for which there is no known curative therapy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Karnofsky performance status (PS) 50-100% (patients \> 16 years of age) OR Lansky PS 50-100% (patients ≤ 16 years of age) * Body weight ≥ 15 kg and ≤ 100 kg * Patients with neurological deficits allowed provided they are stable for ≥ 1 week * Able to swallow capsules * ANC ≥ 1,000/μL (unsupported) * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL (unsupported) * Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL (may be supported) * Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 OR serum creatinine normal based on age as follows: * 0.8 mg/dL (≤ 5 years of age) * 1.0 mg/dL (\> 5 to ≤ 10 years of age) * 1.2 mg/dL (\> 10 to ≤ 15 years of age) * 1.5 mg/dL (\> 15 years of age) * Urine protein/creatinine ratio \< 1.0 * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Albumin ≥ 2.5 g/dL * PT and activated PTT ≤ 1.2 times ULN * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness that would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate protocol therapy, or would likely interfere with the study procedures or results, including any of the following: * Serious infections including ongoing systemic bacterial, fungal, or viral infection * Significant cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, or other organ dysfunction * Willing and able to comply with schedule visits, drug administration plan, laboratory tests, including pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessments, or other study procedures * No known coagulopathy or bleeding diathesis * No known history of drug-induced liver injury * No CNS, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, or urinary bleeding within the past month * No uncontrolled systemic hypertension (systolic BP or diastolic BP \> 95% percentile for age) * No alcohol or drug addiction * Able to tolerate periodic MRI scans and gadolinium contrast PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * Recovered from the acute toxic of all prior therapy (excluding alopecia and neurotoxicity) * At least 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive anticancer chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosourea) * At least 14 days since prior investigational or biological agent * At least 3 half-lives since prior biological agents that have a prolonged half-life * At least 3 half-lives since prior monoclonal antibody * At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiotherapy * At least 6 weeks since prior total-body irradiation, craniospinal radiotherapy, or radiotherapy to ≥ 50% of the pelvis * At least 90 days since prior allogeneic bone marrow transplantation * No active graft-versus-host disease * Concurrent dexamethasone or other corticosteroids allowed provided dose is stable for ≥ 7 days * At least 1 week since prior colony-forming growth factors (e.g., filgrastim, sargramostim, erythropoietin) * At least 14 days since long-acting colony-forming growth factor formulations (e.g., pegfilgrastim) * More than 4 weeks since prior major surgical procedures * More than 2 weeks since prior intermediate surgical procedures * More than 7 days since minor surgical procedures * No other concurrent anticancer or investigational drug therapy