OUTLINE: Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours, amifostine IV over 10 minutes, and cisplatin IV over 90 minutes. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Neurotoxicity is assessed and vibration perception threshold testing is performed prior to each course of chemotherapy and at 3 months following the last treatment. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter.