HLA-A2-Restricted Synthetic Glioma Antigen Peptides Vaccine and Poly-ICLC in Treating Children with Newly Diagnosed High-Grade Glioma, Brainstem Glioma, or Recurrent Unresectable Low-Grade Glioma

Inclusion Criteria

• Tumor types – tumor type/location: * Stratum A: newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas OR any biopsy proven high-grade glioma involving the brainstem; patients may not have received chemotherapy during or after radiation; patients must be registered within 4-12 weeks of completing radiation * Stratum B: newly diagnosed, non-brainstem high-grade glioma; patients may not have received chemotherapy during or after radiation; patients must be registered within 4-12 weeks of completing radiation * Stratum C: unresectable low-grade gliomas that have received at least two chemotherapy/biologic regimens; patients may not have received radiation to the index lesion within 1 year of enrollment * Stratum D: non-brainstem high-grade gliomas that have recurred following treatment * Stratum E: newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas or brain stem gliomas who received chemotherapy during radiation therapy; patients may not have received chemotherapy after radiation therapy was completed; patients must be registered within 4-12 weeks of completing radiation * Stratum F: newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas with metastatic disease within the central nervous system (CNS) requiring craniospinal radiation therapy; patients may or may not have received chemotherapy during radiation, but cannot have received chemotherapy after radiation therapy was completed; patients must be registered within 4-12 weeks of completing radiation
• HLA-A2 positive based on flow cytometry
• Patients in Stratum A, B, and E must have received standard involved field radiation therapy (RT) defined as fractionated external beam radiotherapy with total doses between 5000-6000 centigray (cGy); patients in these strata must be registered within 4-12 weeks of completing RT
• Patients in Stratum F must have received craniospinal radiation
• Patients must be clinically stable and off or on low-dose (no more than 0.1 mg/kg/day, max 4 mg/day dexamethasone) corticosteroid for at least one week prior to study registration
• All patients must sign an institutional review board (IRB)-approved informed consent document
• Patients must have a performance status of >= 70; (Karnofsky if > 16 years and Lansky if < 16 years of age)
• Documented negative serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) for female patients who are post-menarchal; males and females must agree to use effective birth control methods during the course of vaccination (from the first vaccine to two weeks after the last vaccine); should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
• Patients must be free of systemic infection requiring intravenous (IV) antibiotics at the time of registration; patients must be off IV antibiotics for at least 7 days prior to registration
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 1,000/ul
• Platelets > 100,000/ul (transfusion independent)
• Absolute lymphocyte count of > 500/uL
• Hemoglobin > 8 g/dl (may be transfused)
• Bilirubin =< 1.5x institutional normal for age
• Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) alanine transferase (ALT) < 3x institutional normal
• Serum creatinine based on age or creatinine clearance or radioisotope GFR > 70 ml/min/ml/min/1.73 m^2 * Age 1 to < 2 maximum serum creatinine for male is 0.6; female is 0.6 * Age 2 to < 6 maximum serum creatinine for male is 0.8; female is 0.8 * Age 6 to < 10 maximum serum creatinine for male is 1; female is 1 * Age 10 to < 13 maximum serum creatinine for male is 1.2; female is 1.2 * Age 13 to < 16 maximum serum creatinine for male is 1.5; female is 1.4 * Age >= 16 maximum serum creatinine for male is 1.7; female is 1.4
• Patients on Strata C and D must have recovered from the toxic effects of prior therapy to grade 1 or better; patients must be at least 3 weeks form the last dose of standard cytotoxic chemotherapy or myelosuppressive biological therapy, at least 1 week from the last dose of non-myelosuppressive biologic therapy and at least 6 months from placement of bis-chloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU) wafers; any questions related to the definition of non-cytotoxic agents should be directed to the principal investigator
• No overt cardiac, gastrointestinal, pulmonary or psychiatric disease

Exclusion Criteria

• Presence of metastatic disease for patients in Stratum A, B, D and E; patients with metastatic high grade gliomas diagnosed at < 1 year of age are eligible for Stratum D at the time of recurrence; patients with low grade gliomas (Stratum C) may have tumor spread within the CNS; patients in Stratum F must have tumor spread within the CNS
• Patients enrolled in Strata A and B may not have received any prior chemotherapy or anti-glioma therapy of any type other than radiation therapy; patients enrolled on Stratum C must have received at least two prior chemotherapy or biologic therapy regimens and may not have received radiation to the index lesion within 1 year of enrollment; patients on Strata A, B, E, and F cannot have received chemotherapy after radiation therapy was completed
• Concurrent treatment or medications (must be off for at least 1 week) including: * Interferon (e.g. Intron-A) * Allergy desensitization injections * Growth factors (e.g. Procrit, Aranesp, Neulasta) * Interleukins (e.g. Proleukin) * Any investigational therapeutic medication
• Patients must not have a history of, or currently active autoimmune disorders requiring cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy, or autoimmune disorders with visceral involvement
• Use of immunosuppressives within four weeks prior to study entry or anticipated use of immunosuppressive agents; dexamethasone, or other corticosteroid medications, if used in the peri-operative period and/or during radiotherapy, must be tapered (no more than 0.1 mg/kg/day, max 4 mg/day dexamethasone) for at least one week before study registration; topical corticosteroids are acceptable
• Patients with known addiction to alcohol or illicit drugs
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients are excluded from the study
• Patients who have received prior immunotherapy
• Patients must be registered prior to the start of treatment
• The date protocol therapy is projected to start must be no later than 7 days after the date of study registration