This phase II trial studies how well cilengitide works in treating younger patients with recurrent or progressive high-grade glioma that has not responded to standard therapy. Cilengitide may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the objective response rate to cilengitide in younger patients with recurrent or progressive high-grade glioma that is refractory to standard therapy. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To estimate the distribution of time to progression, time to treatment failure, and time to death in these patients. II. To estimate the rate of toxicity, especially symptomatic intratumoral hemorrhage, in these patients. III. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of cilengitide in plasma using a limited sampling strategy. IV. To evaluate the pharmacogenetic polymorphisms in drug transporters (eg, breast cancer resistance protein \[BCRP\], P-glycoprotein \[P-gp\]) and relate to cilengitide disposition. OUTLINE: Patients receive cilengitide IV over 1 hour on days 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, and 25. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years and then periodically for 3 years.