Busulfan, Melphalan, and Stem Cell Transplant After Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed High-Risk Neuroblastoma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine if the acute toxicity of an autologous stem cell transplant with a busulfan-melphalan (BuMel) based regimen is tolerable when given as consolidation therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the incidence of non-hematologic organ toxicity (grade 3 and higher) and all cause mortality in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant with a BuMel based regimen followed by local radiotherapy for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. II. To describe response rates, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) for patients undergoing induction therapy followed by consolidation with myeloablative BuMel preparative regimen and local radiotherapy for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. III. To correlate busulfan pharmacokinetics with non-hematologic toxicity following a BuMel based autologous transplant regimen and event-free survival and overall survival. IV. To determine the feasibility of performing Curie scores in "real time," as assessed by central scan committee review of a 123 I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan obtained after cycle 4 of induction therapy. V. To examine the concordance between central reviewers and institutional reviewers in performing Curie scoring at diagnosis and after cycle 4 of induction therapy. VI. To determine the feasibility of detecting aberrations in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in tumors obtained at the time of diagnosis in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. VII. To determine the feasibility of performing molecular profiling of neuroblastoma tumors obtained at the time of diagnosis in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. VIII. To correlate melphalan pharmacokinetics with non-hematologic toxicity following a BuMel based autologous transplant regimen and event-free survival and overall survival. OUTLINE: INDUCTION THERAPY: COURSES 1-2: Patients receive cyclophosphamide intravenously (IV) over 15-30 minutes, topotecan hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1-5 and filgrastim subcutaneously (SC) or IV once daily (QD) beginning on day 6. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 2 courses. COURSES 3 AND 5: Patients receive cisplatin IV over 1 hour on days 1-4 and etoposide IV over 1-2 hours on days 1-3. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 2 courses. COURSE 4: Patients receive cyclophosphamide IV over 1-6 hours on days 1-2, vincristine sulfate IV over 1 minute on days 1-3, doxorubicin hydrochloride IV over 24 hours on days 1-3 and mesna IV over 15-30 minutes on days 1-2. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 1 course. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. CONSOLIDATION THERAPY: Beginning 4-8 weeks following the 5th course of induction therapy, patients receive busulfan IV over 3 hours on days -6 to -3 and melphalan IV on day -1. Patients undergo autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) on day 0 and filgrastim SC or IV beginning on day 0. Some patients also undergo external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) after induction and consolidation. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 1 year, and then every 6 months for 4 years.