Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Refractory Advanced Solid Tumors or Hematologic Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  * Histologically confirmed advanced primary or malignant solid tumor refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists

    * Progressive disease evidenced by 1 of the following:

      * Non-prostate cancer (including, but not limited to, breast, ovary, head and neck, non-small cell lung, bladder, kidney, colon, stomach, or malignant melanoma)

        * Development of new lesions or an increase in existing lesions
        * No increase in a biochemical marker (e.g., carcinoembryonic antigen, CA-15-3, or an increase in symptoms) as sole measure of disease
  * Prostate cancer (androgen independent) meeting the following criteria:

    * Progressing metastatic disease on bone scan, CT scan, or MRI
    * Metastatic disease and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values meeting 1 of the following criteria:

      * At least 3 rising PSA values obtained at least 1 week apart = 2 rising values more than 1 month apart with at least 25% increase over the range of values
    * Serum testosterone less than 30 ng/mL
    * Castrate status should be maintained by medical therapies if orchiectomy has not been performed
    * Progressive disease must be evident off antiandrogen therapy if received prior to study entry
    * Registered to protocol MSKCC-9040
  * Cytologically confirmed chronic, accelerated, or blastic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative therapy exists

    * Progressive disease evidenced by 1 of the following:

      * Accelerated or blastic phase disease that is not responsive to standard therapy or loss of hematologic response to imatinib mesylate while remaining in chronic phase for CML
      * Relapsed or refractory after treatment with standard chemotherapy and imatinib mesylate for Ph-positive ALL
* No active CNS or epidural tumor
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Sex:

* Not specified

Menopausal status:

* Not specified

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy:

* At least 6 months

Hematopoietic:

* WBC greater than 3,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
* No restrictions based on peripheral blood counts for CML and Ph-positive ALL

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST less than 1.5 times ULN
* Prothrombin time normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN OR
* Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* Ejection fraction greater than 45% by radionuclide cardiac angiography
* No ventricular aneurysm or other abnormal wall motion
* No reversible defect by thallium stress test if any of the following conditions are present:

  * Ejection fraction less than 45% on radionuclide angiocardiography
  * Worrisome but nonexclusive cardiovascular history
  * Abnormal echocardiogram
* Patients with the following history or clinical findings require additional diagnostic testing:

  * Significant Q waves (greater than 3 mm or greater than one-third of the height of the QRS complex)
  * ST elevation or depressions of greater than 2 mm that are not attributable to hypertension strain
  * Absence of regular sinus rhythm
  * Bundle branch block
  * Requirement for diuretics for reasons other than hypertension or digoxin for reasons other than atrial fibrillation
  * Prior mild to moderate congestive heart failure
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
* No angina pectoris
* No uncontrolled hypertension or intermittent claudication
* No severe debilitating valvular disease

Pulmonary:

* No severe debilitating pulmonary disease

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No active infection requiring IV antibiotics
* No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or higher
* No other severe medical conditions that would increase risk for toxicity
* No allergy to eggs or egg products

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy (including interferon for CML) and recovered

Chemotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (3 days for hydroxyurea for CML or ALL) and recovered
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior endocrine therapy and recovered

Radiotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* Concurrent radiotherapy to localized disease sites not being used to evaluate antitumor response allowed
* No concurrent radiotherapy to only measurable lesion

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Prior orchiectomy allowed
* No concurrent surgery

Other:

* At least 3 days since prior imatinib mesylate for CML or ALL
* At least 4 weeks since prior investigational anticancer drugs and recovered
* At least 4 weeks since prior palliative treatment for metastatic disease
* No concurrent ketoconazole, warfarin, verapamil, miconazole, or erythromycin
* No other concurrent investigational drugs