Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Non-Metastatic Extracranial Ewing Sarcoma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: l. Test the effect of the combination of vincristine (vincristine sulfate), cyclophosphamide, and topotecan (topotecan hydrochloride) (VTC) added to the standard 5-drug interval-compressed chemotherapy backbone on event-free and overall survival of children and young adults with Ewing sarcoma. CORRELATIVE SCIENCE OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate initial volumetric tumor size as a prognostic factor for event free survival (EFS) in patients with localized Ewing tumors. II. To evaluate histologic response as a prognostic factor for EFS in patients with localized Ewing tumors. III. To continue evaluation of biologic markers both as related to prognosis and as eventual therapeutic targets via encouraging concurrent enrollment on a Ewing sarcoma specimen-collection study. IV. To evaluate imaging response by fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) as a prognostic factor for EFS. V. To evaluate the effects of the type of local therapy on EFS and overall survival. VI. To evaluate the effect of local surgical margins in conjunction with histologic response on EFS in patients with localized Ewing tumors. VII. To evaluate the effect of local therapy modality (surgery, radiotherapy, or a combination) as well as the type of surgical reconstruction on musculoskeletal complications. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. ARM A: INDUCTION THERAPY: Patients receive vincristine sulfate intravenously (IV) on day 1 in weeks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10; doxorubicin hydrochloride IV over 1-15 minutes (or as per institutional policies up to 60-minutes) on days 1 and 2 and cyclophosphamide IV over 30-60 minutes on day 1 in weeks 1, 5, and 9; and ifosfamide IV over 1 hour and etoposide IV over 1-2 hours on days 1-5 in weeks 3, 7, and 11. CONSOLIDATION THERAPY: Patients receive vincristine sulfate IV on day 1 in weeks 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, and 22; doxorubicin hydrochloride IV on days 1 and 2 in weeks 1 and 9; cyclophosphamide IV over 30-60 minutes on day 1 in weeks 1, 7, 9, 13, 17, and 21; and ifosfamide IV over 1 hour and etoposide IV over 1-2 hours on days 1-5 in weeks 3, 5, 11, 15, and 19. Patients received Dexrazoxane with doxorubicin hydrochloride in weeks 1 and 9. ARM B: INDUCTION THERAPY: Patients receive vincristine sulfate IV on day 1 in weeks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12; topotecan hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1-5 in weeks 1 and 9; cyclophosphamide IV over 15-30 minutes on days 1-5 in weeks 1 and 9, and over 30-60 minutes on day 1 of weeks 5 and 11; ifosfamide and etoposide as in arm A; and doxorubicin hydrochloride IV on days 1 and 2 in weeks 5 and 11. CONSOLIDATION THERAPY: Patients receive vincristine sulfate IV on day 1 in weeks 1, 2, 7-10, 13-16, 19, and 20; topotecan hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1-5 in weeks 1, 7, and 15; cyclophosphamide IV over 15-60 minutes on days 1-5 in weeks 1, 7, and 15, and over 30-60 minutes on day 1 in weeks 9, 13, and 19; ifosfamide IV over 1 hour and etoposide IV over 1- 2 hours on days 1-5 in weeks 3, 5, 11, 17, and 21; and doxorubicin hydrochloride IV on days 1 and 2 in weeks 9,13, and 19. Patients received Dexrazoxane with doxorubicin hydrochloride in weeks 13 and 19. Patients could undergo surgery alone after recovery from week 12 chemotherapy if the primary tumor could be completely resected with negative margins and with reasonable functional result. Patients with inadequate margins after surgery were to receive radiotherapy in addition. Patients with lesions in surgically difficult sites such as the spine, skull, and periacetabular pelvis, patients with a poor response to induction chemotherapy, or those patients in whom surgery would result in unacceptable functional results were recommended to receive radiation and not surgery. Radiotherapy was to be administered during weeks 1-7 of consolidation therapy or after recovery from surgery for patients with positive margins. Patients who received planned pre-operative radiation and had positive surgical margins were to receive additional radiotherapy. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed up every 3 months for 3 years and then every 6 months for 2 years.