Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed solid tumor that is not amenable to any standard curative therapy or is refractory to conventional therapy Tumor suitable for MRI or PET imaging No active brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: WHO 0-2 Life expectancy: At least 4 months Hematopoietic: WBC at least 4,000/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 1.17 mg/dL ALT or AST less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Alkaline phosphatase less than 2 times ULN (unless due to liver or bone metastases) Renal: Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL Cardiovascular: No ischemic heart disease Other: Not pregnant or nursing Fertile patients must use effective contraception at least 4 weeks before, during, and for 4 weeks after the study No other serious medical condition or serious infection within past 28 days No other active concurrent malignancies, except: Carcinoma in situ of the cervix Adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin No autoimmune disorders No inflammatory bowel disease No diabetes

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas or mitomycin and recovered Endocrine therapy: Concurrent steroid use allowed Radiotherapy: At least 6 weeks since prior radiotherapy (except radiotherapy to small isolated fields not including significant areas of bone marrow) and recovered No prior radiotherapy to tumor site(s) that will be imaged by MRI/PET scanning or used to assess tumor response Surgery: No concurrent open surgery Other: At least 4 weeks since all other prior anticancer therapies and recovered No concurrent heparin or warfarin Concurrent NSAIDs allowed