Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Treating Patients With Brain Tumors

PROTOCOL ENTRY CRITERIA: --Disease Characteristics-- Histologically proven intracranial tumor OR Pathologically confirmed cancer with metastases to the brain OR Newly discovered brain lesions that are amenable to stereotaxic biopsy No more than 3 measurable tumors Only 1 tumor more than 3 cm in diameter that requires radiosurgery allowed No tumor more than 4 cm in diameter No tumor that involves more than 50% of the brain stem --Prior/Concurrent Therapy-- Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: Not specified Endocrine therapy: Concurrent corticosteroids allowed Radiotherapy: Prior cranial radiotherapy allowed Surgery: Radiosurgery to other nonstudy intracranial lesions allowed Prior biopsy and/or subtotal or near-total resection allowed --Patient Characteristics-- Age: 18 and over Performance status: Karnofsky 70-100% OR ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: More than 3 months Hematopoietic: WBC at least 3,000/mm3 Absolute granulocyte count at least 500/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL Platelet count at least 50,000/mm3 Hepatic: SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) PT and PTT no greater than 1.5 times ULN No clinically significant hepatic dysfunction Renal: Creatinine no greater than 1.3 times ULN Cardiovascular: No clinically significant cardiac dysfunction Pulmonary: No clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction Other: Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test No clinically significant systemic illness or serious infection that would preclude…