RATIONALE: Inserting the gene for interferon-beta into a person's glioblastoma cells may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of gene therapy in treating patients who have recurrent or progressive glioblastoma multiforme.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the major toxic effects of intratumor BG00001 (adenoviral vector encoding human interferon beta) in patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma multiforme.
• Determine the maximum tolerated dose of this drug in these patients.
• Determine the 6-month progression-free survival and 12-month overall survival of patients treated with this drug.
• Determine the immune response in patients treated with this drug.
• Determine the anti-tumor activity of this drug in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation, multicenter study.

Patients receive intratumor BG00001 by stereotactic injection on day 1. Patients undergo tumor resection and receive the second injection of BG00001 into the tumor bed and remaining tumor on day 8 in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of BG00001 until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as one dose level below that at which either 2 of 3 or 2 or more of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Once the MTD is determined, 14-17 additional patients receive treatment as above with the MTD of BG00001.

Patients are followed on days 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 22, and 29; weeks 8, 17, 26, and 52; and then every 6 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 3-50 patients will be accrued for this study within 1 year.

• Biological: recombinant adenovirus-hIFN-beta
• Procedure: conventional surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed glioblastoma multiforme

  • Recurrent or progressive disease after prior treatment as evidenced by gadolinium-enhanced MRI
• Recurrent or progressive tumor must be confirmed as malignant by biopsy

• Resection must be clinically indicated

  • Tumor must be amenable to radical resection
• Must be on anticonvulsant therapy with therapeutic serum levels for at least 2 weeks prior to study
• No brainstem or optic chiasm involvement of tumor
• No more than 1 cm linear dimension of contact between gadolinium-enhancing tumor and a cerebral ventricle

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3

Hepatic:

• ALT and AST no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• PT no greater than 2 seconds above ULN
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 2 times ULN
• Sodium 125-150 mEq/L
• Potassium 3.5-5.5 mEq/L

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No prior intolerance to corticosteroids
• No medical condition that would preclude the use of corticosteroids
• No uncontrolled seizure disorder
• No other clinically significant, uncontrolled medical illness
• No other invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No prior BG00001
• No prior treatment with a gene delivery vector or therapeutic adenovirus

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Must receive corticosteroids beginning at least 1 week before baseline MRI and ending after the second dose of study drug

Radiotherapy:

• At least 8 weeks since prior radiotherapy, including interstitial radiation or radiosurgery
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics

Other:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior investigational drugs or therapy
• No other investigational or approved anticancer therapy during and for 8 weeks after study