DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumor that is clinically unresectable
• No standard therapy available that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy
• No CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver involvement present)

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

• QTc < 450 msec for men (470 msec for women)
• LVEF > 40% by MUGA
• No cardiac symptoms ≥ grade 2
• Normal ejection fraction on MUGA if had prior anthracycline treatment
• No history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row)
• No myocardial infarction or active ischemic heart disease within the past year
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure
• No uncontrolled dysrhythmias or dysrhythmias requiring antiarrhythmic drugs
• No poorly controlled angina
• No congenital long QT syndrome
• No left bundle branch block
• No history of cardiac toxicity after treatment with anthracyclines (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride, daunorubicin hydrochloride, mitoxantrone hydrochloride, bleomycin, or carmustine)
• No other significant cardiac disease

Pulmonary

• DLCO ≥ 80%
• No pulmonary symptoms ≥ grade 2
• No significant pulmonary disease requiring oxygen
• No pulmonary fibrosis by chest x-ray

• No symptomatic pulmonary disease requiring medication including the following:

  • Dyspnea on or off exertion
  • Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
  • Chronic obstructive/restrictive pulmonary disease
• No home oxygen that meets the Medicare criteria
• No history of pulmonary toxicity after treatment with anthracyclines (e.g., doxorubicin hydrochloride, daunorubicin hydrochloride, mitoxantrone hydrochloride, bleomycin, or carmustine)

Other

• Willing to provide biologic specimens
• No uncontrolled infection
• No seizure disorder
• No prior serious allergic reactions to eggs
• No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy or biologic therapy

• No concurrent prophylactic use of any of the following colony-stimulating factors:

  • Filgrastim (G-CSF)
  • Pegfilgrastim
  • Sargramostim (GM-CSF)
• No concurrent immunotherapy or biologic therapy
• No concurrent gene therapy

Chemotherapy

• Prior gemcitabine and/or cisplatin allowed
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) and recovered
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent oral contraceptives

Radiotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow
• No prior radiotherapy that included the heart in the field (e.g. mantle radiotherapy) or chest
• No prior radiopharmaceuticals
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No other concurrent investigational therapy
• No concurrent medications that prolong or may prolong QTc interval
• No concurrent inhibitors of the 3A4 enzyme
• No concurrent enrollment in any other study involving a pharmacologic agent