OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the maximum tolerated dose of high dose melphalan with autologous peripheral blood stem cell support and amifostine cytoprotection in patients with cancer. II. Determine the complete response rate, event free survival, overall survival, and nonrelapse mortality in this patient population.

OUTLINE: This is a dose escalation study of melphalan. Prior to high dose melphalan and amifostine cytoprotection, patients may receive cyclophosphamide IV. Filgrastim (G-CSF) is given until cytapheresis is completed. Patients receive high dose melphalan according to an escalating dose schedule. High dose melphalan is administered IV on day -1. Amifostine is also administered on days -2 and -1. Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is performed on day 0. Dose escalation of high dose melphalan continues until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 8 patients experience dose limiting toxicity. After the MTD of high dose melphalan is determined, additional patients are treated at this dose level. Patients are followed at days 30, 100, 365, and yearly thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: After the determination of MTD, a total of 14-25 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Confirmed diagnosis of primary tumor and/or recurrence that has a low curative potential using other therapies, including but not limited to: Acute leukemia Myeloma Breast cancer Ovarian cancer Hodgkin's disease Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Neuroblastoma Ewing's sarcoma In the absence of recurrence, malignancies for which an autotransplant regimen is considered a reasonable therapeutic alternative are also considered Greater than 25% of bone marrow normal cellularity and less than 10% of volume composed of tumor cells No active brain metastases or carcinomatous meningitis (controlled CNS metastases eligible)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 14 to 70 Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 3000/mm3 Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1500/mm3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin, SGOT, and SGPT less than 2 times normal Renal: Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min Cardiovascular: LVEF at least 45% Pulmonary: DLCO at least 50% FEV1 at least 60% Other: Not pregnant or nursing Fertile patients must use effective contraception HIV, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2 negative Hepatitis B and C negative

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No more than 1 prior autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant Chemotherapy: Cumulative anthracycline or equivalent dose no greater than 450 mg/m2 Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: Not specified Surgery: Not specified Other: Recovered from prior therapy No antihypertensives during and 24 hours prior to amifostine administration