DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumor, including, but not limited to the following tumor types:

  • Rhabdomyosarcoma and other soft tissue sarcomas
  • Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors
  • Osteosarcoma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Wilm's tumor
  • Hepatic tumors
  • Germ cell tumors
  • Primary brain tumors (histological confirmation may be waived for brain stem or optic gliomas)
• Relapsed or refractory disease after prior front-line therapy
• No other potentially curative therapy exists
• Measurable or evaluable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 2 to 18

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 8 g/dL
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin normal
• SGPT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
• No hepatic dysfunction that would preclude study therapy

Renal:

• Creatinine normal OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• No renal dysfunction that would preclude study therapy

Cardiovascular:

• Normal cardiac ejection fraction by echocardiogram if receiving doxorubicin on study

Other:

• No serious systemic infection that would preclude study participation
• No other significant systemic illness that would preclude study participation
• No other organ dysfunction that would preclude study therapy
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 72 hours since prior colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim [G-CSF], sargramostim [GM-CSF], epoetin alfa, or interleukin-11)
• More than 4 months since prior bone marrow transplantation
• No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• All patients:

  • At least 21 days since prior chemotherapy (28 days for nitrosoureas)
  • No other concurrent chemotherapy

• Patients receiving doxorubicin on study must meet 1 of the following criteria:

  • No more than 300 mg/m^2 prior cumulative dose of anthracycline if administered as a bolus injection without cardioprotectant (e.g., dexrazoxane) OR if mediastinal radiotherapy was received
  • No more than 400 mg/m^2 prior cumulative dose of anthracycline if administered as a continuous infusion or with cardioprotectant AND no mediastinal radiotherapy was received

Endocrine therapy:

• Concurrent corticosteroids allowed for brain tumors if dose is stable or tapering for at least 7 days prior to study entry

Radiotherapy:

• See Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy for patients receiving doxorubicin
• At least 4 weeks since prior craniospinal radiotherapy, total body radiotherapy, or radiotherapy to more than half of the pelvis for patients receiving docetaxel or vinorelbine
• At least 2 weeks since prior limited-field radiotherapy (local) for patients receiving docetaxel or vinorelbine
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Other:

• Recovered from all prior therapy
• At least 30 days since prior investigational cancer therapy
• No other concurrent investigational agents