Brostallicin or Doxorubicin as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Relapsed, Refractory, or Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed high- or intermediate-grade malignant soft tissue sarcoma\* of 1 of the following cellular types: * Adipocytic (e.g., liposarcoma dedifferentiated, myxoid/round cell, pleomorphic, mixed-type, not otherwise specified) * Fibroblastic (e.g., adult fibrosarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, or sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma) * So-called fibrohistiocytic (e.g., pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma \[MFH\], giant cell MFH, or inflammatory MFH) * Leiomyosarcoma * Malignant glomus tumors * Skeletal muscle (e.g., rhabdomyosarcoma, alveolar, or pleomorphic) * Vascular (e.g., epithelioid hemangioendothelioma or angiosarcoma) * Uncertain differentiation (e.g., synovial, epithelioid, alveolar soft part, clear cell, desmoplastic small round cell, extra-renal rhabdoid, malignant mesenchymoma, perivascular epithelioid cell tumor \[PEComa\], or intimal sarcoma) * Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors * Malignant solitary fibrous tumors * Undifferentiated soft tissue sarcomas not otherwise specified * Other types of sarcoma if approved by the study coordinator NOTE: \*Includes malignant tumors of non-organ origin and skin and uterine leiomyosarcoma * The following tumor types are excluded: * Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma * Chondrosarcoma * Osteosarcoma * Ewing tumors/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) * Gastrointestinal stromal tumors * Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans * Inflammator…