Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Young Patients With Recurrent or Resistant Malignant Germ Cell Tumors

Inclusion criteria

* Histologically confirmed (at original diagnosis) extracranial germ cell tumor (GCT) containing 1 of the following malignant elements: * Yolk sac tumor (endodermal sinus tumor) * Choriocarcinoma * Embryonal carcinoma * Meets 1 of the following disease criteria: * Recurrent malignant disease * Chemotherapy-resistant disease * Relapsed disease * Disease refractory to conventional therapy * Measurable disease * Must have received a prior first-line chemotherapy regimen that included cisplatin * Patients with tumor marker (AFP and/or BHCG) elevation alone or bone scan findings alone are not eligible\* * Patients with immature teratoma (any grade), germinoma, sex-cord stromal tumors, or recurrent GCT previously treated with surgery alone are not eligible * Karnofsky performance status (PS) 50-100% (age \> 16 years) OR Lansky PS 50-100% (age ≤ 16 years) OR ECOG PS 0-2 * Life expectancy ≥ 8 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 750/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm³ (transfusion independent) * Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR creatinine normal based on age/gender, as defined by the following: * ≤ 0.4 mg/dL (1 month to \< 6 months of age) * ≤ 0.5 mg/dL (6 months to \< 1 year of age) * ≤ 0.6 mg/dL (1 to \< 2 years of age) * ≤ 0.8 mg/dL (2 to \< 6 years of age) * ≤ 1.0 mg/dL (6 to \< 10 years of age) * ≤ 1.2 mg/dL (10 to \< 13 years of age) * ≤ 1.4 mg/dL (13 to ≥ 16 years of age) (female) * ≤ 1.5 mg/dL (13 to \< 16 years of age) (male) * ≤ 1.7 mg/dL (≥ 16 years of age) (male) * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) for age * ALT \< 2.5 times ULN for age * Shortening fraction ≥ 27% by echocardiogram OR ejection fraction ≥ 50% by gated radionuclide study * No dyspnea at rest * No exercise intolerance * Pulse oximetry \> 94% (if there is clinical indication for determination) * Patients with seizure disorder are eligible provided they are on non-enzyme inducing anticonvulsants and seizures are well controlled * No CNS toxicity \> grade 2 * No active graft-versus-host disease * No allergy to Cremophor EL or castor oil * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No other concurrent chemotherapy or immunomodulating agents * Recovered from prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy * At least 1 week since prior growth factors (2 weeks for pegfilgrastim) * At least 1 week since prior biologic therapy * At least 2 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosourea) * At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiotherapy (i.e., small port) * At least 6 months since prior craniospinal radiotherapy or radiotherapy to ≥ 50% of pelvis * At least 6 weeks since other prior substantial bone marrow radiotherapy * At least 6 months since prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation * Concurrent radiotherapy to localized painful lesions allowed provided at least 1 measurable lesion is not irradiated