Pyrazoloacridine Followed by Radiation Therapy in Treating Adults With Newly Diagnosed Supratentorial Glioblastoma Multiforme

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically proven, newly diagnosed, supratentorial, grade IV astrocytoma (glioblastoma multiforme)

  * Incompletely resected disease
* Must have measurable and contrast enhancing tumor on the postoperative MRI/CT scan

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* Transaminases no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.7 mg/dL

Other:

* No other serious concurrent infection or medical illness that would preclude study therapy
* No other active malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer
* No psychosis requiring ongoing therapy with antipsychotic medication
* Mini mental score at least 15
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No prior immunotherapy or biologic agents (including immunotoxins, immunoconjugates, antisense compounds, peptide receptor antagonists, interferons, interleukins, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, lymphokine activated killer cells, or gene therapy) for glioblastoma multiforme
* No concurrent prophylactic growth factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\] or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\])

Chemotherapy:

* No prior chemotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme

Endocrine therapy:

* No prior hormonal therapy for glioblastoma multiforme
* Prior glucocorticoids allowed
* Concurrent corticosteroids allowed if on stable dose (no increase within the past 5 days)

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from immediate postoperative period

Other:

* Greater than 10 days since prior anticonvulsants that induce hepatic metabolic enzymes (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, primidone, or felbamate)
* No other concurrent investigational agents