PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 65 and over Performance status: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Not specified Cardiovascular: No severe ischemic heart disease No cardiomyopathy that would restrict doxorubicin use Other: No other serious medical conditions that would affect treatment outcome No prior malignancy except: Nonmelanomatous skin cancer Adequately treated in situ cervical cancer Sufficiently fit to receive treatment