Pemetrexed Disodium and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of advanced or recurrent solid tumors

  * Patients for whom docetaxel is considered appropriate anticancer therapy; docetaxel is currently approved for use in patients with the following solid tumors:

    * Non-small cell lung (NSCLC)
    * Breast
    * Prostate
    * Esophageal
    * Head and neck
    * Ovarian
    * Gastric
* Measurable or non-measurable disease
* No squamous cell NSCLC
* Controlled brain metastases allowed

  * Clinically stable with no signs of progression by MRI or CAT scan ≥ 60 days after treatment
  * Patients must be asymptomatic with no steroid requirements

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3\*
* ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3\*
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Total bilirubin normal
* AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) must meet one of the following criteria:

  * AST or ALT ≤ 3\*\* times upper limit of normal (ULN) AND AP normal
  * AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN AND AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN
  * AST or ALT normal AND AP ≤ 5 times ULN
* Calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min OR GFR measured by Tc99m-DPTA serum clearance method
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after completion of study treatment
* Able to interrupt aspirin or other NSAIDs pre- and post- twice-monthly drug dosing
* Able to take folic acid, vitamin B12, or corticosteroids
* No uncontrolled serious active infections
* No pre-existing peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1
* No significant cardiac disease (i.e., uncontrolled high blood pressure, unstable angina, congestive heart failure within the past 6 months, LVEF \< normal, myocardial infarction within the past year, or serious cardiac arrhythmias requiring medication)
* No known severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated in polysorbate 80 NOTE: \*No concurrent colony-stimulating factors to maintain these values

NOTE: \*\*For patients with liver metastases, AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN AND AP normal

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Have received 0-1 prior systemic therapy regimens (prior adjuvant chemotherapy will be considered a prior systemic therapy regimen)
* At least 4 weeks since prior systemic anticancer therapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C and nitrosoureas)
* At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered from the side effects to ≤ grade 1
* At least 2 weeks since prior pleurodesis
* No concurrent radiotherapy