Molecular Profiling in Planning Cancer Treatment in Younger Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Inclusion Criteria

• INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH DIPG
• Patients with newly diagnosed DIPG, who undergo a biopsy are eligible; patients with disseminated disease are not eligible, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine must be performed if disseminated disease is suspected by the treating physician
• Enrollment within 28 days of the date of radiographic diagnosis
• Karnofsky score >= 50 for patients >= 16 years of age and Lansky score >= 50 for patients =< 15 years of age; patients who are unable to walk because of paralysis but who are up in a wheelchair, will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of assessing the performance score
• Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1000/mm^3 and
• Platelet count >= 100,000/mm^3 (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving platelet transfusions for at least 7 days prior to enrollment) and
• Hemoglobin >= 8 g/dl (can be transfusion dependent)
• Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >= 70 ml/min/1.73 m^2 OR a serum creatinine within normal limits based on age/gender as follows: * Maximum serum creatinine: 3 to < 6 years: 0.8 mg/dL for males and females * Maximum serum creatinine: 6 to < 10 years: 1 mg/dL for males and females * Maximum serum creatinine: 10 to < 13 years: 1.2 mg/dL for males and females * Maximum serum creatinine: 13 to < 16 years: 1.5 mg/dL for males and 1.4 mg/dL for females * Maximum serum creatinine: >= 16 years: 1.7 mg/dL for males and 1.4 mg/dL for females
• Bilirubin (sum of conjugated + unconjugated) =< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age and
• Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) =< 110 U/L; for the purpose of this study, the ULN for SGPT is 45 U/L and
• Serum albumin >= 2 g/dL
• Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception: hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation, and 30 days after completion of study drug administration; should a female become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately; men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 30 days after completion of study drug administration
• Patients with seizure disorder may be enrolled if seizures are well controlled
• Ability by patient or parent/legal guardian (for patients under 18 years of age) to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it

Exclusion Criteria

• EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH DIPG
• Patients who are currently enrolled on another clinical trial
• Patients who are currently taking any anti-cancer directed therapy; steroids are not considered anti-cancer therapy
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• Female patients of childbearing potential must not be pregnant or breast-feeding; female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test prior to the start of therapy (as clinically indicated)
• Patients with inability to return for follow-up visits or obtain follow-up studies required to assess toxicity to therapy