Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Comparison of High Dose Rapid Schedule With Conventional Schedule Chemotherapy for Stage 4 Neuroblastoma Over the Age of One Year
Brief Summary: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Giving combination chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. A bone marrow transplant, using bone marrow from the patient, may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. It is not yet know which combination chemotherapy schedule is more effective, when given before surgery and an autologous bone marrow transplant, in treating patients with disseminated neuroblastoma.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying two different chemotherapy schedules to compare how well they work in treating young patients who are undergoing surgery and an autologous bone marrow transplant for disseminated neuroblastoma.


Options:
A: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: See General Eligibility Criteria

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: See General Eligibility Criteria
B: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed disseminated neuroblastoma

  * No local or regional neuroblastoma
  * No disseminated disease that is demonstrated by meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan only
* Needle biopsy of primary tumor required

  * Fine needle aspiration is not adequate

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior chemotherapy
* No other prior therapy
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* All patients must be diagnosed with neuroblastoma, and categorized as high risk at the time of diagnosis; exception: patients who are initially diagnosed as non-high-risk neuroblastoma, but later converted (and/or relapsed) to high risk neuroblastoma are also eligible
* All patients must have completed therapy including intensive induction followed by ASCT and radiotherapy to be eligible for ANBL0032; radiotherapy may be waived for patients who either have small adrenal masses which are completely resected up front, or who never have an identifiable primary tumor; examples of such therapies include:

  * Following treatment per A3973 protocol
  * Following treatment per Pediatric Oncology Group (POG)-9341/9342 protocol
  * Following treatment per CCG3891
  * Following treatment on New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) 2001-02
  * Enrollment on or following treatment per ANBL02P1
  * Enrollment on or following treatment per ANBL07P1
  * Tandem transplant patients are eligible:

    * Following treatment on or per ANBL0532
    * Following treatment per POG 9640
    * Following treatment per COG ANBL00P1
    * Following treatment per CHP 594/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) 34-DAT
* No more than 12 months from the date of starting the first induction chemotherapy after diagnosis to the date of ASCT except for the rare occasions as noted below; for tandem ASCT patients, this will be the date of the FIRST stem cell infusion; exception: for those who are initially diagnosed as non-high risk neuroblastoma, but later converted (and/or relapsed) to high risk neuroblastoma, the 12 months restriction should start from the date of induction therapy for high risk neuroblastoma (not from the initial induction therapy for non-high risk disease), to the date of ASCT
* At pre-ASCT evaluation patients must meet the International Neuroblastoma Response Criteria (INRC) for CR, VGPR, or PR for primary site, soft tissue metastases and bone metastases; patients who meet those criteria must also meet the protocol specified criteria for bone marrow response as outlined below:

  * =\< 10% tumor (of total nucleated cellular content) seen on any specimen from a bilateral bone marrow aspirate/biopsy
  * Patient who have no tumor seen on the prior bone marrow, and then have =\< 10% tumor on any of the bilateral marrow aspirate/biopsy specimens done at pre-ASCT and/or pre-enrollment evaluation will also be eligible (note that per INRC this would have been defined as "overall" response of progressive disease \[PD\])
* Prior to enrollment on ANBL0032, a determination of mandatory disease staging must be performed (tumor imaging studies including computed tomography \[CT\] or magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\], MIBG scan, and vanillylmandelic acid \[VMA\]/homovanillic acid \[HVA\]; bone marrow aspirates are required but biopsy may be omitted if negative prior to ASCT); this disease assessment is required for eligibility and should be done preferably within 2 weeks, but must be done within a maximum of 4 weeks before enrollment

  * For those with residual disease before radiotherapy, re-evaluation of irradiated residual tumors is preferably performed at the earliest 5 days after completing radiotherapy; patients with residual disease are eligible; biopsy is not required; patients who have biopsy proven residual disease after ASCT will be enrolled on Stratum 07
  * Patients must not have progressive disease at the time of study enrollment except for protocol specified bone marrow response and except for elevations of catecholamines as the only sign of disease in a patient who had normal catecholamines at pre-ASCT evaluation
* Patients must be enrolled before treatment begins; the date protocol therapy is projected to start must be no later than ten (10) calendar days after the date of study enrollment; patients should be enrolled preferably between day 56 and day 85 after peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) infusion (day from 2nd stem cell infusion for tandem transplant); patients must be enrolled no later than day 200 after PBSC infusion; enrollment must occur after completion of radiotherapy, and after completion of tumor assessment post-ASCT and radiotherapy; informed consent should be obtained within 3 weeks pre-ASCT up to the time of registration
* Patients must not have received prior anti-disialoganglioside (GD2) antibody therapy
* Patients must have a Lansky or Karnofsky performance scale score of \>= 50% and patients must have a life expectancy of \>= 2 months
* Total absolute phagocyte count (APC = %neutrophils + %monocytes) X white blood cell (WBC) is at least 1000/uL
* Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \>= 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 or a serum creatinine based on age/gender as follows:

  * No greater than 0.4 mg/dL (1 month to \< 6 months)
  * No greater than 0.5 mg/dL (6 months to \< 1 year)
  * No greater than 0.6 mg/dL (1 to \< 2 years)
  * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (2 to \< 6 years)
  * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (6 to \< 10 years)
  * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (10 to \< 13 years)
  * No greater than 1.4 mg/dL (\>= 13 years \[female\])
  * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (13 to \< 16 years \[male\])
  * No greater than 1.7 mg/dL (\>= 16 years \[male\])
* Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x normal
* Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) =\< 5 x normal
* Veno-occlusive disease, if present, should be stable or improving
* Shortening fraction of \>= 27% by echocardiogram, or if shortening fraction abnormal, ejection fraction of \>= 55% by gated radionuclide study or echocardiogram; note: the echocardiogram or gated radionuclide study must be performed within 4 weeks prior to enrollment
* Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) \> 60% predicted by pulmonary function test; for children who are unable to do pulmonary function tests (PFTs), no evidence of dyspnea at rest and no exercise intolerance should be documented; note: the pulmonary function test must be performed within 4 weeks prior to enrollment
* Patients with seizure disorder may be enrolled if on anticonvulsants and well-controlled; central nervous system (CNS) toxicity \< grade 2
* Written informed consent in accordance with institutional and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines must be obtained from parent or legal guardian
* Females of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test; patients of childbearing potential must agree to use an effective birth control method; female patients who are lactating must agree to stop breast-feeding
D: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed newly diagnosed neuroblastoma OR ganglioneuroblastoma, and/or evidence of clumps of tumor cells in bone marrow with elevated urinary catecholamine metabolites, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  * Age greater than 18 months with stage IV disease, regardless of biologic factors
  * Age 12-18 months with stage IV disease meeting one of the following criteria:

    * Any unfavorable biologic feature (e.g., MYCN amplification, unfavorable pathology, and/or DNA index = 1)
    * Any biologic feature that is indeterminate, unsatisfactory, or unknown
* At least 1 year old with the following:

  * Stage IIa/IIb with MYCN amplification (\> 10) AND unfavorable pathology
  * Stage III with MYCN amplification (\> 10) OR unfavorable pathology
  * Stage I, II, or IVS with disease progression to stage IV without interval chemotherapy

    * No more than 3 weeks since progression
    * Must have been enrolled on protocol CCG-B973, COG-ANBL00B1, or POG-9047
* Less than 1 year old with the following:

  * Stage III, IV, or IVS disease with MYCN amplification (\> 10)
* Registration on protocol COG-ANBL00B1 required within 14 days of diagnosis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* See Disease Characteristics
* 30 and under at time of diagnosis

Performance status:

* Not specified

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Inadequate hematopoiesis secondary to bone marrow involvement with \> 10% tumor infiltration allowed

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
* ALT ≤ 300 units/L

Renal:

* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
* Creatinine clearance or glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

* ECG normal
* Ejection fraction ≥ 55% by echocardiogram or MUGA OR
* Fractional shortening ≥ 28% by echocardiogram

Other:

* Able to tolerate peripheral blood stem cell collection
* HIV negative
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to, during, and for 1 month after study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Not specified

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No more than 1 prior course of chemotherapy on the Intergroup low/intermediate risk neuroblastoma study (P9641, A3961)

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* Prior localized emergency radiotherapy to sites of life-threatening or function-threatening disease allowed

Surgery:

* Not specified

Other

* No other prior systemic therapy

Answer: B