Combination Chemotherapy Followed By Surgery With or Without Radiation Therapy in Treating Young Patients With Stage II or Stage III Neuroblastoma

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy 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. Giving combination chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain. It is not yet know whether combination chemotherapy followed by surgery alone is more effective than combination chemotherapy followed by surgery and radiation therapy in treating neuroblastoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying combination chemotherapy followed by surgery to see how well it works compared to combination chemotherapy followed by surgery and radiation therapy in treating young patients with stage II or stage III neuroblastoma.