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 phophatase 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