Inclusion Criteria

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