Interferon Alfa in Treating Patients With Recurrent Unresectable Meningiomas and Malignant Meningiomas

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically proven tumors:
• •* Unresectable meningioma
• •* Atypical meningioma
• •* Malignant meningioma
• •* Angioblastic meningioma
• •* Hemangiopericytoma
• •Recurrent or progressive, unresectable tumor after failing radiation therapy or refused radiation therapy following 2 surgeries
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age:
• •16 and over
• •Performance status:
• •Karnofsky at least 60%
• •Life expectancy:
• •At least 3 months
• •Hematopoietic:
• •AGC at least 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic:
• •SGPT less than 2.0 times normal
• •Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.0 times normal
• •Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
• •Renal:
• •BUN less than 1.5 times normal OR
• •Creatinine less than 1.5 times normal
• •Other:
• •No active infection
• •No diseases that obscure toxicity or dangerously alter drug metabolism
• •No serious intercurrent medical illness
• •Not pregnant
• •Fertile patients must use adequate contraception
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •No concurrent biologic therapy
• •Chemotherapy:
• •Prior chemotherapy allowed and recovered from all myelotoxicity secondary to the therapy
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •Prior hormonal therapy allowed
• •No concurrent hormonal therapy
• •Radiotherapy:
• •Prior radiotherapy allowed
• •Surgery:
• •Not specified