• Response rate (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Safety (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Dose-limiting toxicity (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Feasibility (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Toxicity by NCI CTC v3.0 (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Maximum tolerated dose (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Treatment efficacy (Phase I) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Frequency and severity of toxicities (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Molecular determinants (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Importance of folate-associated gene expression and response or outcome (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Effect of bortezomib on patients that over express NF-kB, BCL-2, and BCL-xL (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Prognosis associated with lost p27 expression (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Effects of bortezomib on down-regulating HIF-1 in reducing levels PAI-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and/or osteopontin (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Shed tumor DNA in plasma as a biomarker (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Biological activity of bortezomib (Phase II) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Cytologically or histologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  • Advanced solid tumor that progressed after standard therapy or for which no effective curative therapy exists (phase I)

  • Stage IIIB (pleural effusion) or IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (phase II)

    • Disease must have progressed or recurred after 1 platinum-based therapy regimen
    • NSCLC that has progressed or recurred after first-line therapy for stage IIIA or IIIB disease allowed

• Measurable disease

  • Disease in previously irradiated sites is considered measurable if there is clear disease progression following radiotherapy
  • Evaluable disease (bone metastases, pleural fluid, ascites) allowed (phase I)

• No symptomatic brain metastasis or disease requiring steroids and anticonvulsants

  • Asymptomatic, previously treated (surgical resection or radiotherapy) brain metastases allowed provided patient is neurologically stable and has been off steroids and anticonvulsants for ≥ 4 weeks

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Zubrod performance status 0-2 (phase I) or 0-1 (phase II)
• Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
• Bilirubin normal
• AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
• Granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count of ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
• No pre-existing neuropathy ≥ grade 2

• No other prior malignancy except for the following (phase II):

  • Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
  • In situ cervical cancer
  • Adequately treated stage I or II cancer currently in complete remission
  • Any other cancer from which the patient has been disease free for > 5 years
• No hypersensitivity to bortezomib, boron, or mannitol

• No cardiovascular complications, including any of the following:

  • Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
  • New York Heart Association class III-IV heart failure
  • Uncontrolled angina
  • Severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias

  • Electrocardiographic (ECG) evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities

    • Any ECG abnormality at screening must be documented as not medically relevant

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior bortezomib or pemetrexed disodium
• Any number of prior chemotherapy regimens allowed (phase I)
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C) and recovered
• More than 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or salicylates 2 days prior and 2 days after (5 days pre and post for long-acting NSAIDs) administration of pemetrexed disodium

• No concurrent anticonvulsants that are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 pathway, including any of the following:

  • Enzyme-inducing drugs

    • Primidone
    • Carbamazepine
    • Phenobarbital
    • Phenytoin

  • Enzyme-inhibiting drugs

    • Oxcarbazepine
    • Topiramate
    • Zonisamide
    • Valproic acid