Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed primary supratentorial glioma

- WHO histologic grade 3 or 4

- Patients who have undergone prior treatment for low-grade glioma that has
transformed to glioblastoma (biopsy proven) allowed

- Amenable to standard temozolomide treatment

- First or second recurrent disease after prior surgery and/or radiotherapy OR newly
diagnosed disease that is not amenable to radiotherapy (e.g., multifocal disease)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG or WHO performance status 0-2

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL

- Neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Alkaline phosphatase and transaminases ≤ 2.5 x ULN

- Serum creatinine < 1.7 mg/dL

- Not pregnant or lactating

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- Clinically normal cardiac function

- No ischemic heart disease within the past 6 months

- No clinically significant abnormalities or uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia by ECG

- QTc interval ≤ 450 msec (males) or ≤ 470 msec (females) by baseline 12-lead ECG

- No history of congenital long QTc syndrome

- No history of stroke

- No other prior or concurrent malignancy within the past 5 years except cone biopsied
carcinoma of the cervix or adequately treated basal or squamous cell skin carcinoma

- No unstable systemic diseases

- No active uncontrolled infections

- No uncontrolled hypertension

- No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would
preclude study participation

- Must be able to swallow tablets

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen in the adjuvant setting or for first
recurrence

- Prior temozolomide allowed provided there was no disease progression during
temozolomide treatment or within 6 weeks of completing temozolomide treatment

- Prior surgery for primary brain tumor within the past 3 months allowed

- Patients who are receiving corticosteroid treatment must be on a stable or decreasing
dose for at least 1 week before study entry

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)

- At least 14 days since prior and no concurrent enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs
including, but not limited to, any of the following:

- Phenytoin

- Carbamazepine

- Phenobarbital

- More than 30 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational treatments

- No concurrent anticoagulant treatment (e.g., warfarin)

- Low molecular weight heparin for patients who require anticoagulant therapy
after starting study treatment may be allowed

- No concurrent routine use of colony-stimulating factors

- No other concurrent anticancer agents