Thalidomide and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed malignancy not amenable to curative surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy
* Tumor types may include any of the following:

  * Any solid tumor including, but not limited to, head and neck, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, melanoma, and sarcoma
  * Primary CNS neoplasms if the following are true:

    * Received primary radiotherapy
    * No concurrent corticosteroids or has been on a stable corticosteroid dose for at least 30 days
    * No concurrent enzyme-inducible anti-epileptic medications (i.e., carbamazepine or phenytoin)
  * Multiple myeloma
  * Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
* No refractory or relapsed acute or chronic leukemia
* Measurable or evaluable disease
* No life-prolonging therapy available
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Sex

* Male or female

Menopausal status

* Not specified

Performance status

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

* At least 4 months

Hematopoietic

* WBC at least 4,000/mm\^3
* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL

Hepatic

* Bilirubin no greater than upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST and/or ALT no greater than 2.5 times ULN if alkaline phosphatase less than ULN OR
* Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 4 times ULN if AST/ALT less than ULN

Renal

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

Cardiovascular

* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use 2 effective methods of contraception 4 weeks before, during, and 4 weeks after study
* Willing and able to comply with FDA-mandated STEPS program
* No peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or greater
* No prior severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
* No more than 2 prior courses of mitomycin

Endocrine therapy

* See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

* At least 4 weeks since prior large-field radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* At least 3 weeks since other prior anticancer therapy and recovered