OUTLINE: Prior to treatment, patients undergo bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. On day -3, patients receive idoxuridine IV over 60 minutes followed immediately by a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. Patients then receive amifostine IV over 5-7 minutes on the same day. Prior to chemotherapy on day 1, patient receive broxuridine IV over 60 minutes immediately followed by bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. Chemotherapy on day 1 consists of amifostine followed by cytarabine IV over 3 hours repeated every 12 hours and mitoxantrone IV over 1 hour immediately after the second infusion of cytarabine. This course is repeated on day 5 after another bone marrow biopsy and aspirate. Starting on day 6, patients receive amifostine 3 times a week until day 28 or beyond. Patients who respond to treatment continue on to receive three courses of consolidation therapy. Consolidation courses 1 and 3 consist of cytarabine continuous IV on days 1-7 and idarubicin IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 2, and 3. Consolidation course 2 consists of cytarabine IV over 75 minutes repeated every 12 hours for 4 days. Twenty-four hours after each course of consolidation therapy, patients receive isotretinoin orally every day and interferon alfa subcutaneously every other day. Isotretinoin and interferon alfa therapy are stopped 4 days prior to day 1 of the next course of consolidation therapy. Following recovery from course 3 of consolidation therapy, patients continue to receive isotretinoin/interferon alfa until relapse. Patients in complete remission after the 3 courses of consolidation therapy receive isotretinoin/interferon alfa for 3 years. Patients are followed every 3 months for the first year, then every 6 months for the next 2 years.