Holmium Ho 166 DOTMP Followed by Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Metastatic Ewing's Sarcoma or Rhabdomyosarcoma That Has Spread to the Bone

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors or rhabdomyosarcoma with bone metastases

  * Refractory to conventional therapy OR
  * Responsive to conventional therapy with osseous metastases at diagnosis that are extensive enough to preclude concurrent radiotherapy to all sites
* Soft tissue, pulmonary, and/or bone marrow metastases in addition to cortical bone allowed

  * Extraosseous sites of disease allowed if amenable to surgical resection or external beam radiotherapy
* No patients under 10 years old with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma
* Adequate peripheral blood stem cells stored

  * At least 2,500,000 CD34+ cells/kg
* No impending bone fracture or spinal cord compression

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 12 and over

Performance status:

* 0-2

Life expectancy:

* At least 2 months

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 75,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent)
* Hemoglobin at least 10.0 g/dL (RBC transfusion allowed)

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times normal
* SGOT no greater than 2.5 times normal

Renal:

* Radioisotope glomerular filtration rate, iothalamate clearance, or creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min

Other:

* No uncontrolled infection
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Recovered from prior immunotherapy
* At least 3 months since prior bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (6 months for total body irradiation conditioning) and recovered
* At least 1 week since prior cytokines
* No immunomodulators during and for at least 4 weeks after study
* No concurrent cytokines

Chemotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
* No more than 3 prior systemic chemotherapy regimens
* No systemic chemotherapy during and for at least 4 weeks after study

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* See Biologic therapy
* Recovered from prior radiotherapy
* No prior maximum tolerable radiotherapy (greater than 30 Gy) to the spinal cord
* No prior therapeutic doses of bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical (e.g., samarium Sa 153 lexidronam pentasodium EDTMP)
* No radiotherapy during and for at least 4 weeks after study

  * Local radiotherapy to any tumor site allowed provided at least 1 evaluable lesion is untreated

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No surgical resection of all bone metastases evaluable by PET during and for 1 month after study

Other:

* At least 4 weeks since prior bisphosphonates