DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed advanced carcinomas of the following types:

  • Breast carcinoma that is ineligible for or patient has refused participation in a higher priority protocol in the following categories:

    • Stage II disease with at least 10 involved lymph nodes and no evidence of disease (NED) following surgery
    • Stage III disease rendered surgically NED with or without radiotherapy

    • Stage IV disease following partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) to surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy

      • Prior high dose chemotherapy allowed at discretion of investigator
      • No chemoresistant disease rendered surgically NED
    • Locoregionally recurrent disease within 2 years of breast conservation with or without chemotherapy

• Stage III/IV ovarian cancer

  • PR/CR following debulking surgery and/or chemotherapy
  • Ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols

• Primary soft tissue sarcoma with high-grade disease greater than 10 cm or that is metastatic

  • Rendered surgically NED or achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic regimen
  • Ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols

• Malignant melanoma in the following categories:

  • Ulcerative primary tumor with any number of completely resected metastatic lymph nodes
  • Stage II disease with more than 4 involved nodes rendered NED
  • Stage III disease rendered surgically NED or achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic regimen

• Osteosarcoma that is ineligible for or refused participation in higher priority protocols

  • Resected primary with less than 50% tumor necrosis on pathologic review
  • Metastatic disease rendered surgically NED or PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic, or immunotherapeutic regimen

• The following diseases rendered surgically NED or that achieved PR/CR on any chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic, or immunotherapeutic regimen also eligible:

  • Small cell bone carcinoma
  • Metastatic Ewing's sarcoma
  • Metastatic gastrointestinal malignancy
  • Recurrent Wilms' tumor
• No CNS metastases

• No current histologically confirmed bone marrow metastases

  • Prior bone metastases with resolution at time of entry permitted

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Physiologic 18 to 55

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 80%-100%

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm3
• Platelet count greater than 120,000/mm3
• Hemoglobin greater than 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
• AST/ALT less than 3 times normal

Renal:

• Creatinine less than 1.4 mg/dL
• Creatinine clearance at least 70 mL/min
• No history of hemorrhagic cystitis

Cardiovascular:

• Ejection fraction at least 55% by MUGA
• No significant cardiac disease

Pulmonary:

• FEV1 greater than 2 L
• pO2 (room air) greater than 70 mm Hg
• pCO2 (room air) less than 42 mm Hg
• DLCO greater than 60% of predicted

Other:

• No potentially disabling psychosocial history
• No organic or functional CNS dysfunction or other medical problem that would present party at undue risk
• HIV negative
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• No hearing loss greater than 40 decibels

• No contraindication to the following procedures:

  • Collection by apheresis of up to 16 x 10 to the 8th mononuclear cells mobilized by G-CSF
  • Collection of autologous bone marrow, if needed

• No second malignancy except:

  • Nonmelanomatous skin cancer
  • Carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Adequate contraception required of fertile patients

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens (excluding adjuvant therapy)
• No more than 200 mg per square meter of prior cisplatin
• No more than 800 mg per square meter of prior carboplatin
• No prior exposure to greater than 1,000 mg per square meter of "24-hour paclitaxel equivalents" (using a 1:1.3 ratio between paclitaxel doses given by 24-hour infusion and by 3-hour infusion)
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiotherapy to more than 20% of bone marrow
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics