RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells and may be an effective treatment for patients with anaplastic astrocytomas.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating patients with anaplastic astrocytomas.

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the disease-free interval and survival in patients with supratentorial malignant brain gliomas randomized to radiotherapy alone vs. radiotherapy plus radiosensitization with mitolactol (DBD) followed by DBD and carmustine.

OUTLINE: Randomized study. Group I: Radiotherapy. External-beam cranial irradiation with megavoltage equipment. Group II: Radiotherapy with Radiosensitization followed by Maintenance Chemotherapy. Radiotherapy as in Group I; with Mitolactol, DBD, NSC-104800; followed by DBD; Carmustine, BCNU, NSC-409962.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 212 patients will be entered over more than 3 years.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed anaplastic astrocytoma Standard maximum resection or stereotactic biopsy required within 4 weeks prior to therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Over 16 Performance status: ECOG/ZUBROD/WHO 0-2 Life expectancy: At least 8 weeks Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 4,000 Platelets greater than 100,000 Hematocrit greater than 30% Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2 mg/dl Renal: Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dl Creatinine clearance greater than 70 ml/min BUN less than 40 mg/dl Other: No major medical illness

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: No anticancer drugs between surgery and protocol treatment No steroids after 10 days following surgery (may be resumed occasionally during radiotherapy)