PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Over 18 Performance status: Karnofsky 60-100% Life expectancy: No specified Hematopoietic: Neutrophil count greater than 1500/mm3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3 Hemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 1.5 times normal Renal: Creatinine less than 1.6 mg/dL Cardiovascular: Ventricular ejection fraction at least 50% Other: No contraindication to anthracycline treatment No prior primary cancer except basal cell skin cancer