Tanespimycin, Gemcitabine Hydrochloride, and Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologic proof of cancer that is now considered clinically unresectable
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1500/uL
* Platelets (PLT) \>= 100,000/uL
* Total bilirubin =\< 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) =\< 2.5 x ULN
* Creatinine =\< 1.5 x ULN
* Alkaline phosphatase =\< 2 x ULN or =\< 5 x ULN if liver involvement
* Hemoglobin (Hgb) \>= 9.0 g/dL
* Ability to provide informed consent
* Willingness to return to Mayo Clinic Rochester for follow up
* Life expectancy \>= 12 weeks
* Willingness to provide all biologic specimens as required by the protocol; this is the mandatory translational research component
* Prior treatment with gemcitabine or cisplatin or both is allowed
* Patients who have had prior anthracycline must have a normal ejection fraction on multi gated acquisition scan (MUGA)
* Women of childbearing potential only: negative serum pregnancy test done =\< 7 days prior to registration

Exclusion Criteria:

* Known standard therapy for the patient's disease that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy
* ECOG performance status (PS) 2, 3 or 4
* Uncontrolled infection
* Any of the following prior therapies:

  * Chemotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Mitomycin C/nitrosoureas =\< 6 weeks prior to study entry
  * Immunotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Biologic therapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Radiation therapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry, or any radiation that potentially included the heart in the field (e.g., mantle)
  * Radiation to \> 25% of bone marrow
  * Radiopharmaceuticals
  * Chest radiation
* Failure to fully recover from acute, reversible effects of prior chemotherapy regardless of interval since last treatment
* Significant cardiac disease including:

  * Heart failure that meets New York Heart Association classification III or IV
  * History of myocardial infarction =\< one year of study entry
  * Uncontrolled dysrhythmias or requiring antiarrhythmic drugs, or
  * Poorly controlled angina
* Active ischemic heart disease =\< 12 months prior to study entry
* Congenital long QT syndrome
* Left bundle branch block
* Central nervous system (CNS) metastases or seizure disorder
* Any of the following:

  * Pregnant women
  * Nursing women
  * Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, injections, intrauterine device \[IUD\], or abstinence, etc.) Note: Concurrent use of oral contraceptives is contraindicated
* Other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (utilized for a non-Food and Drug Administration \[FDA\]-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation)
* History of serious allergic reactions to eggs
* Concurrent use of drugs known to be inhibitors of the 3A4 enzyme
* \>= grade 2 peripheral neuropathy, as defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) version 2.0
* Significant underlying pulmonary disease as manifested by requirement for oxygen or pulmonary fibrosis on chest x-ray
* Use of concomitant medications that prolong or may prolong corrected QT interval (QTc)
* History of serious ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia \[VT\] or ventricular fibrillation \[VF\], \>= 3 beats in a row), QTc \>= 450 msec for men and 470 msec for women, or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) =\< 40% by MUGA
* Patients with symptomatic pulmonary disease requiring medication including the following: dyspnea, dyspnea on exertion, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, oxygen requirement and significant pulmonary disease, including chronic obstructive/restrictive pulmonary disease; note: patients that meet the Medicare criteria for home oxygen should be excluded from the protocol
* Patients with a prior history of cardiac or pulmonary toxicity after receiving anthracyclines such as doxorubicin, daunorubicin, mitoxantrone, bleomycin or carmustine (BCNU)
* Patients with greater or equal to grade 2 pulmonary or cardiac symptoms