Expanded Natural Killer Cell Infusion in Treating Younger Patients with Recurrent/Refractory Brain Tumors

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis: patients with recurrent/refractory medulloblastoma (MB), atypical teratoid (AT)/rhabdoid tumors (RT) or ependymoma involving the brain and/or spine at original diagnosis or relapse; they must have histological verification at diagnosis and/or relapse; patient must have presented with these tumors in the posterior fossa (PF) or relapsed in the PF
• Patient must have either measurable or evaluable tumor
• Presence of or determined by neurosurgery to be a candidate for an implanted catheter in the ventricles to receive NK cell infusion
• Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks in opinion of principal investigator (PI) and/or designee
• Lansky score of 50 or greater if =<16 years of age or a Karnofsky score of 50 or greater if > 16 years of age (NOTE: patients who are unable to walk because of paralysis, but who are in a wheelchair, will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of assessing the performance score)
• Neurologic deficits must have been relatively stable for a minimum of 1 week prior to study enrollment
• Patients must have recovered from the acute toxic effects of all prior anticancer chemotherapy
• Patient must be 4 weeks off any palliative radiation or craniospinal radiation
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of >= 1000/uL
• Platelet count of >= 30,000
• Hemoglobin of >= 9.0 g/dl
• Patients with a seizure disorder may be enrolled if well-controlled and on non-enzyme inducing anticonvulsants
• Patient or patient’s legal representative, parent(s), or guardian able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Enrolled in another treatment protocol
• Evidence of untreated infection
• Extra-cranial metastasis
• Chronic corticosteroid dependence (except replacement therapy)
• Extensive disease, disease location, and/or co-morbid condition that the PI or designee considers unsafe for surgical intervention of NK cell infusion
• Pregnant or lactating women