INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY FOR RELAPSED OR REFRACTORY GERM CELL TUMORS EMPLOYING HIGH-DOSE CARBOPLATIN, ETOPOSIDE, AND THIOTEPA WITH AUTOLOGOUS BONE MARROW RESCUE FOR PATIENTS 15 TO 60 YEARS OF AGE

Study start date: November 1, 1990

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Documented relapsed or refractory germ cell cancer of the following sites of origin: Testes Ovary Retroperitoneum Mediastinum Other sites Any stage of disease allowed Any histologic subtype allowed Seminoma only allowed if ineligible for radiotherapy Failed to achieve complete remission (CR) following at least 3 courses of a standard platinum-containing regimen or experienced clear relapse following CR obtained with such a regimen Absence of tumor markers in the presence of stable residual masses after initial treatment may be allowed (surgical biopsy should be performed; if medically safe, to confirm persistence of disease and rule out mature teratoma or fibrosis) Prior CNS involvement allowed in the absence of gross residual CNS tumor following definitive local therapy (surgery plus radiotherapy) No gross tumor involvement on bone marrow biopsy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 15 to 60 Performance status: Karnofsky 80-100% Hematopoietic: Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL SGOT/SGPT less than 2 times normal Albumin greater than 3.0 mg/dL Renal: Creatinine less than 1.8 mg/dL Cardiovascular: LVEF at least 50% No other serious cardiac disease that would preclude transplantation Pulmonary: DLCO, FEV1, and FVC at least 50% predicted pO2 at least 70 mm Hg on room air Other: HIV negative No other concurrent serious psychiatric, neurologic, neoplastic, immunologic, or other medical problem that would preclude transplantation Not pregnant PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: See Disease Characteristics Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics No prior chest irradiation Surgery: See Disease Characteristics