Temozolomide, Vincristine, and Irinotecan in Treating Young Patients With Refractory Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed\* malignant solid tumor, including brain tumor, at original diagnosis or relapse

  * Refractory disease NOTE: \*Histologic confirmation not required for intrinsic brain stem tumors
* Measurable or evaluable disease
* No known curative therapy OR therapy proven to prolong survival with an acceptable quality of life exists
* No known bone marrow metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 1 to 21

Performance status

* Lansky 50-100% (for patients ≤ 10 years of age)
* Karnofsky 50-100% (for patients \> 10 years of age)

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent)
* Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (RBC transfusions allowed)

Hepatic

* ALT ≤ 110 U/L (upper limit of normal \[ULN\] for ALT is 45 U/L)
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* Albumin ≥ 2 g/dL

Renal

* Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR
* Creatinine based on age as follows:

  * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (for patients ≤ 5 years of age)
  * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (for patients 6 to 10 years of age)
  * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (for patients 11 to 15 years of age)
  * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (for patients \> 15 years of age)

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Neurologic deficits in patients with CNS tumors must be stable for ≥ 1 week prior to study entry
* No uncontrolled infection
* No documented allergy to cephalosporins or dacarbazine

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Recovered from prior immunotherapy
* At least 3 months since prior stem cell transplantation or rescue without total-body irradiation

  * No evidence of active graft-versus-host disease
* At least 7 days since prior antineoplastic biologic agents
* At least 7 days since prior hematopoietic growth factors
* No concurrent biologic therapy or immunotherapy
* No concurrent prophylactic filgrastim (G-CSF) during the first course of study treatment

Chemotherapy

* Recovered from prior chemotherapy
* Prior temozolomide, vincristine, irinotecan, or topotecan allowed

  * No prior coadministration of temozolomide and irinotecan
  * No disease progression during treatment with either irinotecan or temozolomide
* More than 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* Patients with CNS tumors must be on a stable or decreasing dose of dexamethasone for ≥ 7 days prior to study entry

Radiotherapy

* Recovered from prior radiotherapy
* At least 6 months since prior total-body irradiation, craniospinal radiotherapy, or radiotherapy to ≥ 50% of the pelvis
* At least 6 weeks since other prior substantial bone marrow radiotherapy
* At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiotherapy (small port)
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* No other concurrent investigational drugs
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy
* No concurrent enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants, including any of the following:

  * Phenobarbital
  * Phenytoin
  * Carbamazepine
  * Oxcarbazepine
* No concurrent administration of any of the following:

  * Rifampin
  * Voriconazole
  * Itraconazole
  * Ketoconazole
  * Aprepitant
  * Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
* No concurrent treatment for clostridium difficile infection