ABT-751 in Treating Young Patients With Refractory Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed solid tumor\*, including, but not limited to, the following:

  * Rhabdomyosarcoma
  * Other soft tissue sarcomas
  * Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors
  * Osteosarcoma
  * Neuroblastoma
  * Wilms' tumor
  * Hepatic tumors
  * Germ cell tumors
  * Primary brain tumors
  * Brain stem or optic gliomas (histological confirmation may be waived if a biopsy has not been performed) NOTE: \*Closed to accrual for all diagnoses except neuroblastoma as of 4/16/05
* Relapsed after or failed to respond to frontline standard therapy and no other standard treatment options (e.g., surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or any combination of these modalities) exist
* Measurable or evaluable disease\* NOTE: \*Not required for patients with neuroblastoma
* No CNS tumor with motor or sensory deficits that would obscure the study assessment of sensory neuropathy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and under

Performance status:

* Lansky 60-100% (age 10 and under)
* Karnofsky 60-100% (age 11 to 18)

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 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* ALT and AST no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN for patients treated after the maximum tolerated dose is determined)
* No clinically significant hepatic dysfunction

Renal:

* Creatinine normal for age OR
* Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
* No clinically significant renal dysfunction

Cardiovascular:

* LVEF normal by echocardiogram

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No allergy to sulfa-containing medications
* No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness (e.g., other organ dysfunction) that would preclude study participation
* No serious infection
* No preexisting grade 2 or greater sensory or motor neuropathy
* HIV negative

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 4 months since prior bone marrow transplantation
* At least 72 hours since prior interleukin-11
* At least 72 hours since prior colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim \[G-CSF\] or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\]) except epoetin alfa
* No concurrent growth factors (e.g., GM-CSF) except epoetin alfa

  * Concurrent G-CSF allowed if neutropenia lasts longer than 5 days OR if the patient experiences confirmed septicemia associated with neutropenia
* No concurrent immunotherapy
* No concurrent interleukin-11

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 30 days since prior chemotherapy (42 days for nitrosoureas)
* No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* Patients with brain tumors:

  * Must be on a stable or tapering dose of corticosteroids for 7 days before baseline scan performed for the purpose of assessing response to study therapy
  * Concurrent corticosteroids allowed for control of symptoms of tumor-associated edema

Radiotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* At least 4 months since prior extensive radiotherapy (craniospinal radiotherapy, total body irradiation, or radiotherapy to more than 50% of the pelvis)
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics

Other:

* Recovered from prior therapy
* At least 30 days since prior investigational anticancer therapy
* No other concurrent investigational agents