Doxorubicin With or Without Ifosfamide and Pegfilgrastim in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as doxorubicin and ifosfamide use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Colony-stimulating factors, such as pegfilgrastim, cause the body to make blood cells. It is not yet known whether doxorubicin alone is more effective with or without ifosfamide and pegfilgrastim in treating soft tissue sarcoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving doxorubicin alone to see how well it works compared to giving doxorubicin together with ifosfamide and pegfilgrastim in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.