• Early response rate (ERR) (i.e., complete response/partial response [CR/PR]) at end of therapy & at 3, 5, and 10 yrs after completion of therapy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Failure-free survival (FFS) at end of therapy & at 3, 5, and 10 yrs after completion of therapy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Survival at end of therapy & at 3, 5, and 10 yrs after completion of therapy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Acute and late effects (e.g., sterility, second malignancy, radiation effects, and growth effects) of these regimens continuously for up to 10 years [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Rate of second-look surgery in patients with bulk residual tumor at diagnosis and those who become "tumor free" or have microscopic tumor only and are treated with reduced dose radiation at the end of therapy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Rate of local failure in selected patients with bulk residual tumors at diagnosis who undergo second-look resection and response-adjusted radiotherapy dose reduction ongoing for up to 10 years [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Preoperative radiotherapy followed by second-look surgery indicated for patients who respond poorly to induction chemotherapy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Define and compare clinical features (demographics such as age, disease site and stage, node involvement, or outcome) of patient subgroups with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma whose tumors carry t(2;13), t(1;13) or neither transloc. at end of the study [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Estimation of ERR, FFS, and survival of patients with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with t(2;13), t(1;13), or neither transloc. by pos. or neg. RTPCR on peripheral blood and marrow spec. at diagnosis and at end of tx [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven disease of any of the following types:

  • Nonmetastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

    • Stage I, II, or III; Clinical Group I, II, or III

  • Stage II or III, Clinical Group III embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

    • Botryoid
    • Spindle cell

  • Under 10 years, stage IV, Clinical Group IV embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

    • Botryoid
    • Spindle cell

  • Undifferentiated sarcoma

    • Stage I, II, or III; Clinical Group I, II, or III

  • Ectomesenchymoma

    • Stage I, II, or III; Clinical Group I, II, or III, with alveolar features
    • Under 10 years, Stage IV, Clinical Group IV, with embryonal features
• No more than 6 weeks since initial surgical procedure (e.g., biopsy) giving the definitive diagnosis
• No parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma with positive CSF cytology or multiple intracranial metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Under 50

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Renal:

• Creatinine normal* for age NOTE: *Patients with tumor obstruction causing creatinine elevation may be enrolled

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Prior steroids allowed

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics