FAU in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors or Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Measurable disease by CT scan and/or MRI
* Archival tumor tissue sample available for correlative pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenomic studies
* Accessible tumor tissue available (for patients enrolled in the expanded maximum tolerated dose \[MTD\] cohort)
* No known active brain metastases but previously treated brain metastases allowed
* ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 70-100%
* AST and ALT =\< 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (=\< 5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
* Alkaline phosphatase =\< 2.0 times ULN (=\< 5 times ULN if bone or liver metastases are present)
* Bilirubin normal
* Creatinine normal or creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Willing to undergo tumor biopsies for correlative pharmacodynamic studies (for patients enrolled in the expanded MTD cohort)
* Able to lie still for PET scan
* Weight =\< 300 lbs
* No uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness/social situation that would preclude compliance with study requirements
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to FAU
* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas, mitomycin C, or bleomycin), immunotherapy, or experimental therapy and recovered
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy to \> 5% of total marrow volume
* No prior radiotherapy to \>= 50% of total marrow volume
* More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy to =\< 5% of total marrow volume
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* ANC \>= 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm\^3
* Life expectancy \> 12 weeks
* Histologically or cytologically confirmed malignant solid tumor for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective
* Solid hematologic malignancies (e.g., Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma) allowed provided bone marrow biopsy has been performed within the past 6 weeks
* Metastatic or unresectable disease
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy (e.g., cytotoxic therapy, biologic therapy, radiotherapy, or hormonal therapy)
* Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed
* Concurrent megestrol acetate or bisphosphonates allowed provided they were started 1 month prior to study enrollment
* Concurrent luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists to maintain castrate levels of testosterone allowed for patients with prostate cancer