Panobinostat and Epirubicin in Treating Patients With Metastatic Malignant Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Cytologically or histologically confirmed solid tumor malignancy for which no curative therapy exists

  * Metastatic disease
* Measurable or evaluable disease (i.e., elevated CA-125 or elevated PSA for patients with ovarian cancer or prostate cancer, respectively)
* Disease amenable to biopsy AND patient willing to undergo biopsies (for patients enrolled in the dose expansion cohort only)
* No uncontrolled CNS metastasis

  * Stable CNS metastasis allowed provided patient has undergone complete surgical resection, gamma knife radiotherapy (for isolated lesions) or whole-brain radiotherapy AND the metastasis has been stable for ≥ 6 weeks

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* WBC \> 3,000/mm³
* ANC \> 1,500/mm³
* Hemoglobin \> 9.0 g/dL (RBC transfusion allowed)
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm³
* AST/ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.3 times ULN
* Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min by 24-hour urine collection
* Total serum calcium (corrected for serum albumin) or ionized calcium ≥ lower limit of normal
* Serum potassium ≥ 4.0 mEq/L (supplementation allowed)
* Serum magnesium normal (supplementation allowed)
* Serum sodium ≥ 130 mEq/L
* Serum albumin ≥ 3 g/dL
* Elevated alkaline phosphatase or gamma-glutamyl-transferase due to bone metastasis or liver metastasis allowed
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective double-method (including barrier) contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
* QTc \< 460 ms
* No evidence of significant active infection (e.g., pneumonia, cellulitis, or wound abscess)
* No impaired cardiac function, including any of the following:

  * Complete left bundle branch block or use of a permanent cardiac pacemaker
  * Congenital long QT syndrome
  * History or presence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias
  * Clinically significant resting bradycardia (\< 50 beats per minute)
  * QTcF \> 470 msec on screening ECG
  * Right bundle branch block plus left anterior hemiblock (bifascicular block)
  * Atrial fibrillation (ventricular heart rate \> 100 beats per minute)
  * Angina pectoris or acute myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
  * New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure
  * LVEF \< 50% on baseline MUGA or ECHO
* No history of seizures

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior cumulative anthracycline dose \> 300 mg/m² of doxorubicin hydrochloride or \> 480 mg/m² of epirubicin hydrochloride
* More than 5 days since prior valproic acid
* More than 3 weeks since prior and no other concurrent chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, or experimental anticancer therapy for the primary disease
* No other concurrent HDAC inhibitors
* No concurrent medications that may induce torsades de pointes or cause QTc prolongation
* No other concurrent investigational or anticancer therapy
* No concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors (including grapefruit or grapefruit juice) and/or CYP3A4 inducers
* No concurrent anti-arrhythmic therapy