Clinical Research Directory

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed neuroblastoma AND/OR demonstration of tumor cells in the bone marrow with increased urinary catecholamines * High-risk disease meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Recurrent or progressive disease * Resistant or refractory disease (i.e., never achieved a complete response to therapy AND never had new sites of disease or progression of initial sites) * Measurable disease meeting at least 1 of the following criteria: * Unidimensionally measurable tumor ≥ 20 mm by MRI, CT scan, or x-ray OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan\* * At least 1 site with positive uptake by metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan\* * Bone marrow with tumor cells seen on routine morphology (not by NSE staining only) of bilateral aspirate AND/OR biopsy on 1 bone marrow sample NOTE: \*Patients who never experienced disease recurrence or progression must demonstrate viable neuroblastoma in a biopsy of either bone marrow or bone and/or soft tissue site (biopsy must be performed ≥ 4 weeks after completion of prior radiotherapy if lesion was irradiated) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 1 to 30 at diagnosis Performance status * ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy * At least 2 months Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 750/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3 (without transfusion) * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (transfusion allowed) Hepatic * SGPT and SGOT \< 5 times normal * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times normal Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times normal for age * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (≤ 5 years of age) * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (6 to 10 years of age) * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (11 to 15 years of age) * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (\> 15 years of age) Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No allergy to cephalosporins * No active diarrhea * No uncontrolled infection PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * See Chemotherapy * Recovered from prior immunotherapy * More than 3 weeks since prior biologic therapy and recovered * More than 2 days since prior hematopoietic growth factors * No concurrent epoetin alfa * No concurrent prophylactic hematopoietic growth factors during the first treatment course * No concurrent immunomodulating agents except steroids to control intracranial pressure Chemotherapy * Prior myeloablative therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation allowed * No prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation * More than 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered * Prior temozolomide, irinotecan, or topotecan allowed * No prior temozolomide and irinotecan as combination therapy * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * See Biologic therapy Radiotherapy * At least 6 weeks since prior large field radiotherapy (e.g., total body irradiation, craniospinal therapy, whole abdomen, total lung, or \> 50% bone marrow space) and recovered * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy to biopsied lesions (for study entry) and recovered * At least 6 weeks since prior MIBG therapy * Concurrent radiotherapy to painful lesions allowed provided the lesions are not used to assess treatment response Surgery * Not specified Other * No concurrent enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants (e.g., phenobarbital, phenytoin, or carbamazepine) * No other concurrent anticancer agents