Thalidomide in Treating Patients With Gynecologic Sarcomas

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed sarcoma or carcinosarcoma (mixed mesodermal tumors) of gynecologic origin not amenable to resection or radiotherapy
* Measurable disease

  * Lesions accurately measured in at least 1 dimension of at least 20 mm in longest diameter with conventional techniques or at least 10 mm with helical CT scan
  * Histologically or cytologically confirmed neoplastic nature if solitary lesion
  * No nonmeasurable disease, defined as:

    * Bone lesions
    * Leptomeningeal disease
    * Ascites
    * Pleural/pericardial effusion
    * Inflammatory breast disease
    * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
    * Unconfirmed abdominal masses not followed by imaging techniques
    * Cystic lesions
* Documented recurrence or persistence following appropriate surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy
* Postmenopausal or status post hysterectomy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* Not specified

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Granulocyte count at least 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 50,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin normal
* Transaminases less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL

Other:

* No grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy
* No medical or social factors that would preclude study, including inability to take oral medication
* No other serious illness requiring immediate therapy
* Not pregnant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Not specified

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks since mitomycin or nitrosoureas)

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics

Other:

* At least 30 days since any prior noncytotoxic experimental antiemetic or antifungal investigational drug