Bortezomib in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Sarcoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed sarcoma
* Soft tissue metastasis or locally recurrent disease
* Stratum I (closed to accrual as of 10/17/03):

  * Soft tissue sarcoma not specified in stratum II
  * Osteogenic sarcoma arising from soft tissue or gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
* Stratum II:

  * Ewing's sarcoma of soft tissue or bone (if measurable soft tissue metastasis is present)
  * Rhabdomyosarcoma
  * Osteogenic sarcoma of bone (if measurable soft tissue metastasis is present)
* At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion

  * At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
* Disease progression within the past 3 months
* No prior or active known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 80-100% OR
* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
* Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

* No peripheral vascular disease requiring surgical management
* No history of congestive heart failure even if it is medically controlled
* No angina pectoris even if it is medically controlled
* No myocardial infarction within the past year
* No cardiac arrhythmias
* No prior cerebrovascular event
* No prior transient ischemic attack
* No EKG evidence of acute ischemia or conduction abnormality (e.g., bifascicular block \[left anterior hemiblock in the presence of right bundle branch block\] or second or third degree atrioventricular block)
* No history of orthostatic hypotension

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No prior allergic reaction to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to study drug
* No other uncontrolled concurrent illness
* No ongoing or active infection
* No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent biological or immunological agents

Chemotherapy:

* Stratum I (closed to accrual as of 10/17/03):

  * At least 1 year since prior chemotherapy in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting
  * No other prior chemotherapy
* Stratum II:

  * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* Not specified

Other:

* Prior imatinib mesylate for GIST (stratum I closed to accrual as of 10/17/03) allowed
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No concurrent commercial anticancer agents or therapies
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients