Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Male Patients With Germ Cell Tumors

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, vincristine, bleomycin, carboplatin, and etoposide phosphate, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating germ cell tumors. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying two different combination chemotherapy regimens to compare how well they work in treating male patients with germ cell tumors.