High-Dose Combination Chemotherapy Plus Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed advanced carcinomas of the following types:

  * Breast carcinoma that is ineligible for or patient has refused participation in a higher priority protocol in the following categories:

    * Stage II disease with at least 10 involved lymph nodes and no evidence of disease (NED) following surgery
    * Stage III disease rendered surgically NED with or without radiotherapy
    * Stage IV disease following partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) to surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy

      * Prior high dose chemotherapy allowed at discretion of investigator
      * No chemoresistant disease rendered surgically NED
    * Locoregionally recurrent disease within 2 years of breast conservation with or without chemotherapy
* Stage III/IV ovarian cancer

  * PR/CR following debulking surgery and/or chemotherapy
  * Ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols
* Primary soft tissue sarcoma with high-grade disease greater than 10 cm or that is metastatic

  * Rendered surgically NED or achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic regimen
  * Ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols
* Malignant melanoma in the following categories:

  * Ulcerative primary tumor with any number of completely resected metastatic lymph nodes
  * Stage II disease with more than 4 involved nodes rendered NED
  * Stage III disease rendered surgically NED or achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic regimen
* Osteosarcoma that is ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols

  * Resected primary with less than 50% tumor necrosis on pathologic review
  * Metastatic disease rendered surgically NED or PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic, or immunotherapeutic regimen
* The following diseases rendered surgically NED or that achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic, or immunotherapeutic regimen also eligible:

  * Small cell bone carcinoma
  * Metastatic Ewing's sarcoma
  * Metastatic gastrointestinal malignancy
  * Recurrent Wilms' tumor
* No CNS metastases
* No current histologically confirmed bone marrow metastases

  * Prior bone metastases with resolution at time of entry permitted

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* Physiologic 18 to 55

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 80%-100%

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm3
* Platelet count greater than 120,000/mm3
* Hemoglobin greater than 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
* AST/ALT less than 3 times normal

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 1.4 mg/dL
* Creatinine clearance at least 70 mL/min
* No history of hemorrhagic cystitis

Cardiovascular:

* Ejection fraction at least 55% by MUGA
* No significant cardiac disease

Pulmonary:

* FEV1 greater than 2 L
* pO2 (room air) greater than 70 mm Hg
* pCO2 (room air) less than 42 mm Hg
* DLCO greater than 60% of predicted

Other:

* No potentially disabling psychosocial history
* No organic or functional CNS dysfunction or other medical problem that would present party at undue risk
* HIV negative
* Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
* No hearing loss greater than 40 decibels
* No contraindication to the following procedures:

  * Collection by apheresis of up to 16 x 10 to the 8th mononuclear cells mobilized by G-CSF
  * Collection of autologous bone marrow, if needed
* No second malignancy except:

  * Nonmelanomatous skin cancer
  * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Adequate contraception required of fertile patients

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens (excluding adjuvant therapy)
* No more than 200 mg per square meter of prior cisplatin
* No more than 800 mg per square meter of prior carboplatin
* No prior exposure to greater than 1,000 mg per square meter of "24-hour paclitaxel equivalents" (using a 1:1.3 ratio between paclitaxel doses given by 24-hour infusion and by 3-hour infusion)
* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy to more than 20% of bone marrow
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics