Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have progressive disease for which craniotomy and tumor resection is recommended as treatment
* Patients must sign a consent form indicating that they are aware of the investigational nature of the study; the informed consent form will indicate that the patient has been made aware of all other appropriate therapies
* Patients with histologically confirmed grade III or IV astrocytoma, oligoastrocytoma, and oligodendroglioma who are at first or second recurrence
* Patients require an initial diagnosis of a malignant glioma as outlined in the inclusion criteria which must be confirmed at the treating facility
* Patients must have unequivocal evidence of tumor progression by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed no longer than 28 days prior to study registration
* Patients must have pathologically confirmed recurrence at the time of catheter placement
* Patients must be on a stable or decreasing dexamethasone dosage for at least 1 week prior to baseline MRI
* Patients must have been treated previously with radiation therapy and treatment must have been completed at least 8 weeks prior to surgery for catheter implantation
* Last dose of cytotoxic chemotherapy must have been at least 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) prior to catheter placement; patients are eligible if they received bevacizumab or other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies, although the most recent dose must be at least 6 weeks prior to catheter placement
* Patients previously treated with stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, brachytherapy, Gliadel wafers or other intratumoral chemotherapy are eligible
* Patients must have recovered from all prior therapy
* Patients must have a life expectancy of \>= 3 months and a Karnofsky performance status \>= 60 Leukocytes \>= 3,000/mcL Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mcL Platelets \>= 100,000/mcL Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL Serum calcium =\< 12.0 mg/dL Total serum bilirubin \< institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)(serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT)(serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional ULN Creatinine \< 1.5 X institutional ULN
* Women of child bearing years must have a negative pregnancy test (serum or urine) within 1 week of study entry; men and women of reproductive potential must agree to use an effective contraceptive method including one of the following: surgical sterilization (tubal ligation for women or vasectomy for men); approved hormonal contraceptives (such as birth control pills, Depo-Provera or Lupron Depro); barrier methods (such as condom or diaphragm) used with a spermicide cream or an intrauterine device (IUD)
* Patient or designated individuals with durable medical power of attorney must give written informed consent prior to any study-specific procedures being implemented
* Both men and women and members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients with infratentorial, multifocal, or pathologically confirmed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disseminated tumor
* Patients that have been treated with \> 3 prior chemotherapy regimens
* Pregnant or lactating women or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception
* Patients who have a history of bleeding disorders including congenital or acquired coagulopathies
* Known acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) based upon current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition or other acquired or congenital disorder of the immune system
* Patients with unstable or serious concurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infections requiring IV antibiotics or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements are ineligible; (if patient has a stable chronic infection requiring oral antibiotics, the patient may be treated at the investigators discretion; however a clinical note must include the justification regarding the safety of treating the patient)
* Patients who have received any other investigational agent in a 28-day period prior to enrollment in this study
* Patients whose tumors are located less than 2 cm from the ventricles
* Patients taking greater than 12 mg daily of dexamethasone
* Prior invasive malignancy that is not low-grade glioma, glioblastoma or gliosarcoma (except non-melanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix) unless the patient has been disease free and off therapy for that disease for a minimum of 3 years