Evaluation of Side Effects and Relative Activity of Two Chemotherapy Regimens in the Treatment Soft Tissue Sarcoma

The purpose of this study is to explore the relative activity and toxicity of a newer
combination of chemotherapy drugs, gemcitabine and docetaxel, as compared to a standard
combination of chemotherapy drugs, ifosfamide and doxorubicin.

Ifosfamide and Doxorubicin, given in combination, are recognized as a standard of care for
some types of sarcoma. Both gemcitabine and docetaxel are approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for the treatment of some cancers (cancers of the pancreas, lung)
because patients with those cancers treated with either gemcitabine or docetaxel experienced
shrinkage of their tumor or improvement in their symptoms. However, neither gemcitabine or
docetaxel is approved for sarcoma, but the combination of gemcitabine and docetaxel is a
standard treatment for advanced sarcoma.

Inclusion Criteria:

- no evidence of metastasis

- soft tissue sarcoma

- intermediate or high histologic grade

- greater than 5 cm

- Zubrod performance status 1 or better

- age 10 or older

Exclusion Criteria:

- clear cell, alveolar soft part, Ewing's rhabdosarcoma, undifferentiated small cell or
Kaposi's

- prior chemotherapy

- nephrectomy

- active unstable angina pectoris

- concurrent therapy