RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy alone or combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy is more effective for childhood kidney cancer.

PURPOSE: Phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy in treating children who have kidney cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Increase survival rate of children with favorable histology (FH) Wilms' tumor and other childhood renal tumors.
• Determine whether loss of heterozygosity for chromosome 16q or 1p in tumor tissue is associated with a poorer prognosis in children with FH Wilms' tumor.
• Determine whether increased DNA content in tumor cells is associated with a poorer prognosis in children with FH Wilms' tumor.
• Decrease the acute and long-term morbidity in children with Wilms' tumor by limiting initial therapy and consistently using the same regimen (protocol NWTS-5/R) for patients who relapse following initial treatment.
• Improve overall and disease-free survival of patients with renal tumors of unfavorable histology, including Wilms' tumor with diffuse anaplasia and clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, using a new treatment regimen that includes etoposide (VP-16) and cyclophosphamide (CTX).
• Improve overall and disease-free survival in patients with malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney using a new treatment regimen that includes carboplatin, VP-16, and CTX. (The rhabdoid tumor stratum closed to accrual effective 07/13/2001)
• Provide data regarding loss of heterozygosity for chromosomes 11p15, 16q, and 1p, age at diagnosis, precursor lesions (perilobar, intralobar, nephroblastomatosis), bilaterality, and presence of congenital anomalies required for the completion of protocol A0026 (a case-control study of risk factors for Wilms' tumor).

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are assigned to one of nine strata based on tumor histology, stage, tumor weight, and age.

• Stratum 1 (stage I favorable histology (FH) Wilms' tumor, under 24 months of age, and tumor weight less than 550 g): After nephrectomy, patients receive regimen EE-4A comprising dactinomycin (DACT) IV weekly on weeks 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 and vincristine (VCR) IV weekly on weeks 1-10, 12, 15, and 18.
• Stratum 2 (stage I FH Wilms' tumor and age 24 months and over or tumor weight at least 550 g; stage I focal anaplastic (FA) or diffuse anaplastic (DA) Wilms' tumor): Patients receive therapy as in stratum 1.
• Stratum 3 (stage II FH Wilms' tumor): Patients receive therapy as in stratum 1.
• Stratum 4 (stage III FH Wilms' tumor; stage II or III FA Wilms' tumor): After nephrectomy, patients receive regimen DD-4A comprising DACT IV weekly on weeks 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24; doxorubicin IV weekly on weeks 3, 9, 15, and 21; and VCR IV weekly on weeks 1-10, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24. Patients also undergo abdominal radiotherapy.
• Stratum 5 (stage IV FH or FA Wilms' tumor): Patients receive chemotherapy as in stratum 4, abdominal radiotherapy, and whole lung radiotherapy (at the discretion of the investigator).
• Stratum 6 (stage V FH, FA, or DA Wilms' tumor ): After bilateral biopsy, patients with FH receive chemotherapy as in stratum 1 or 4. Patients with FA or DA receive chemotherapy as in stratum 7.
• Stratum 7 (stages I-IV clear cell sarcoma): After nephrectomy, patients receive VCR IV weekly on weeks 1, 2, 4-8, 10-13, 18, and 24; cyclophosphamide (CTX) IV over 1 hour on days 1-3 of weeks 6, 12, 18, and 24 and on days 1-5 of weeks 3, 9, 15, and 21; doxorubicin IV (beginning after CTX infusion) weekly on weeks 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24; and etoposide (VP-16) IV over 1 hour (beginning after CTX infusion) on days 1-5 of weeks 3, 9, 15, and 21. Filgrastim (G-CSF) is administered subcutaneously (SC) beginning 24 hours after completion of chemotherapy and continuing until blood counts recover. Patients also undergo abdominal radiotherapy and whole lung radiotherapy (if pulmonary metastases are present).
• Stratum 8 (stages II-IV DA Wilms' tumor): Patients receive treatment as in stratum 7.
• Stratum 9 (stages I-IV rhabdoid tumor): After nephrectomy, patients receive carboplatin IV on days 1-2 and VP-16 IV over 1 hour (beginning after carboplatin infusion) on days 1-3 of weeks 0, 3, 9, 12, 18, and 21 and CTX IV over 1 hour on days 1-5 of weeks 6, 15, and 24. G-CSF is administered as in stratum 7. Patients also undergo radiotherapy. (The rhabdoid tumor stratum closed to accrual effective 07/13/2001.) After completion of chemotherapy, patients undergo second-look laparotomy and partial nephrectomy or wedge excision (if feasible). After second-look surgery, patients without persistent or residual disease resume chemotherapy.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 5 years, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually for 3 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 207 patients will be accrued for the treatment portion of this study. (The rhabdoid tumor stratum closed to accrual effective 07/13/2001.)

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed stage I-V kidney cancer of one of the following histologies:

  • Wilms' tumor, favorable histology

  • Wilms' tumor, focal or diffuse anaplastic

  • Clear cell sarcoma

  • Rhabdoid tumor

    • (The rhabdoid tumor stratum closed to accrual effective 07/13/2001)

• Prior nephrectomy or biopsy required

  • Prior bilateral biopsy (preferably open) with bilateral staging and pathologic evaluation required for bilateral tumor

• Must begin study therapy within 5 days after nephrectomy (unless medically contraindicated)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Under 16

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Other:

• Not pregnant
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics