Zoledronic Acid and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Osteosarcoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Biopsy-proven high-grade osteosarcoma within the past 6 weeks

  * Newly diagnosed disease
  * Metastatic disease
* Resectable disease OR expected to become resectable after initial chemotherapy
* Disease has arisen outside of areas of Paget's disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2 OR Karnofsky PS 50-100% (for patients \> 16 years of age) OR Lansky PS 50-100% (for patients ≤ 16 years of age)
* Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR maximum serum creatinine based on age/gender as follows:

  * 0.4 mg/dL (for patients 1 to 5 months of age)
  * 0.5 mg/dL (for patients 6 to 11 months of age)
  * 0.6 mg/dL (for patients 1 year of age)
  * 0.8 mg/dL (for patients 2 to 5 years of age)
  * 1 mg/dL (for patients 6 to 9 years of age)
  * 1.2 mg/dL (for patients 10 to 12 years of age)
  * 1.5 mg/dL (males) or 1.4 mg/dL (females) (for patients 13 to 15 years of age)
  * 1.7 mg/dL (males) or 1.4 mg/dL (females) (for patients ≥ 16 years of age)
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) for age
* AST or ALT \< 2.5 times ULN for age
* Shortening fraction ≥ 28% by echocardiogram OR ejection fraction ≥ 50% by radionuclide angiogram
* ANC ≥ 1,000/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ (transfusion independent)
* Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL (RBC transfusion allowed)
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use contraception
* No known HIV infection
* No history of pericarditis, myocarditis, symptomatic arrhythmia, or conduction disturbances

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy
* No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy
* No concurrent immunomodulating agents
* Steroids for anti-emetic allowed