AZD2171 in Treating Young Patients With Recurrent, Progressive, or Refractory Primary CNS Tumors

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically confirmed primary CNS tumor

  * Histologically benign brain tumors (e.g., low-grade glioma) allowed
  * Histological requirement waived for intrinsic brain stem or diffuse optic pathway tumors, but must have clinical and/or radiographic evidence of progression
* Recurrent, progressive, or refractory disease
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,000/mm\^3 (unsupported)
* Platelet count \>= 75,000/mm\^3 (unsupported)
* Creatinine =\< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR glomerular filtration rate \>= 70 mL/min
* Bilirubin =\< 1.5 times ULN
* ALT =\< 2.5 times ULN
* Urine dipstick or urinalysis \< 1+ protein
* Albumin \>= 3 g/dL
* Karnofsky performance status (PS) 60-100% (\> 16 years of age) OR Lansky PS 60-100% (=\< 16 years of age)
* Karnofsky/Lansky PS 70-100% for patients at increased risk for compromised LVEF
* Hemoglobin \>= 8 g/dL (transfusion support allowed)
* No overt renal, hepatic, cardiac, or pulmonary disease
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* QTc prolongation =\< 500 msec
* No other significant ECG abnormality within the past 14 days
* No clinically significant, unrelated, systemic illness, including serious infections or significant cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, or other organ dysfunction, that would preclude study participation
* No uncontrolled hypertension

  * Defined as systolic and diastolic BP \> 95th percentile for age (ages 1-17)
  * Defined as BP \> 140/90 (ages 18 and older)
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV disease and Karnofsky/Lansky PS \< 70

  * Class II disease controlled with treatment and increased monitoring is allowed
* Recovered from all prior therapy
* No prior AZD2171
* At least 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive anticancer chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
* More than 1 weeks since prior investigational or biologic agents

  * If the investigational or biologic agent has a prolonged half-life (\> 48 hours), then these patients must be discussed with the study chair prior to registration
* No concurrent drugs or biologics with proarrhythmic potential
* More than 3 months since last fraction of craniospinal radiotherapy or total-body irradiation
* More than 4 weeks since last fraction of focal irradiation to symptomatic metastatic sites
* At least 6 months since prior allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
* At least 3 months since prior autologous bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
* At least 1 week since prior filgrastim (G-CSF), sargramostim (GM-CSF), or epoetin alfa (2 weeks for pegfilgrastim)
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* Concurrent dexamethasone allowed provided patient is on a stable or decreasing dose for ≥ 1 week before study entry
* No concurrent chemotherapy
* No concurrent routine use of G-CSF, GM-CSF, or epoetin alfa
* Able to swallow tablets
* Any neurologic deficits must be stable for \>= 1 week
* If the investigational or biologic agent has a prolonged half-life (\> 48 hours), then these patients must be discussed with the study chair prior to registration

Exclusion Criteria:

* No known curative therapy available