Interferon Alfa and Thalidomide in Treating Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma or Bone Sarcoma

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed primary or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma or bone sarcoma at high risk of recurrence
• •* Grade III-IV tumor greater than 8 cm
• •* Grade III-IV primary tumor greater than 5 cm with positive surgical margins
• •* Grade III-IV primary tumor greater than 5 cm with distant metastases resected within 1 year of primary surgery
• •No more than 8 weeks since prior surgical resection of primary or metastatic disease
• •Ineligible for other high priority national or institutional study
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age:
• •18 and over
• •Performance status:
• •SWOG 0-2
• •Life expectancy:
• •More than 2 months
• •Hematopoietic:
• •WBC greater than 3,000/mm\^3
• •Neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count greater than 70,000/mm\^3
• •Hemoglobin at least 10.0 g/dL
• •Hepatic:
• •Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
• •SGOT or SGPT less than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)\*
• •Alkaline phosphatase less than 3 times ULN\*
• •No decompensated liver disease
• •No autoimmune hepatitis
• •No coagulation disorders NOTE: \* Unless due to metastatic disease
• •Renal:
• •Creatinine normal
• •Cardiovascular:
• •No history of severely debilitating cardiovascular disease
• •No unstable angina
• •No uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• •No thrombophlebitis
• •Pulmonary:
• •No history of severely debilitating pulmonary disease
• •No chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• •No pulmonary embolism
• •Other:
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use 2 forms of effective contraception for 4 weeks before, during, and for 4 weeks after study
• •No acute infection requiring systemic antibiotics
• •No prior hypersensitivity to interferon alfa or any component of the injection
• •No diabetes mellitus prone to ketoacidosis
• •No severe myelosuppression
• •No history of autoimmune disease
• •No pre-existing thyroid abnormalities with thyroid function that cannot be maintained in the normal range
• •No clinically significant retinal abnormalities
• •No other serious medical or psychiatric illness that would preclude study
• •No prior malignancy except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or skin cancer
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy:
• •Prior systemic chemotherapy allowed
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy:
• •Prior radiotherapy allowed
• •Surgery:
• •See Disease Characteristics