Combination Chemotherapy and Bone Marrow Transplantation or Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Oligodendroglioma

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the duration of response in patients with newly diagnosed pure and mixed anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with intensive chemotherapy supported by autologous transplantation. * Determine the neurological and systemic toxic effects of this regimen in these patients. * Determine the relationship of 1p loss of heterozygosity on radiographic response, progression-free survival, and overall survival of patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. * Mobilization and stem cell harvest: Patients receive filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously daily for up to 7 days followed by peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) or bone marrow (BM) harvest. * Induction therapy: All patients then receive induction therapy (PCV) comprising of oral lomustine on day 1, vincristine IV on days 8 and 29, and oral procarbazine on days 8-21. Treatment repeats every 42 days in the absence of progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with prior complete resections receive 3 courses of PCV then proceed to high-dose chemotherapy and transplantation as described below, provided tumor has not recurred. Patients with prior partial resections or biopsies receive 2 courses of PCV and are assessed for response; those who achieve complete response (CR) or major partial response (PR) receive 1 more course of PCV. Patients who achieve partial response or have stable disease receive 2 more courses of PCV and are reassessed. * High-dose chemotherapy and transplantation: Patients who achieve CR or PR receive thiotepa IV on days -8 to -6 and busulfan IV over 2 hours on day -5 to -3. Patients undergo autologous BM or PBSC transplantation on day 0. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 60 patients will be accrued for this study within 3-5 years.