Thalidomide and Procarbazine in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Progressive Malignant Glioma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed malignant glioma * Anaplastic astrocytoma * Anaplastic oligodendroglioma * Glioblastoma multiforme * Anaplastic mixed oligoastrocytoma * Progressive or recurrent disease\* after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy NOTE: \*Patients with prior low-grade glioma who progressed after therapy and are found to have high-grade glioma are eligible * Measurable disease by MRI or CT scan PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Performance status * Karnofsky 60-100% Life expectancy * More than 2 months Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Transaminases ≤ 4 times upper limit of normal Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.7 mg/dL Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use 1 highly active method and 1 additional effective method of contraception for 1 month before, during, and for 4 weeks after study treatment * No concurrent serious infection * No other concurrent medical illness that would preclude study treatment * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No prior thalidomide * No concurrent prophylactic filgrastim (G-CSF) Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) * No prior procarbazine * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for malignant glioma Endocrine therapy * Not specified Radiotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 months since prior radiotherapy Other * Recovered from prior therapy * More than 7 days since prior antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and/or monamine oxidase inhibitors) * No concurrent antidepressants * No other concurrent investigational agents