DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

  • Unresectable recurrent or metastatic disease
  • No nasopharyngeal primaries
• Incurable with surgery or radiotherapy

• Measurable disease

  • At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion > 20 mm by conventional techniques OR > 10 mm by spiral CT scan

    • Must have disease progression or biopsy proven residual carcinoma if the only site of measurable disease is in a previously irradiated field

      • Persistent disease after radiotherapy must be biopsy proven at least 8 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy
• Accessible to planned biopsy methods
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• More than 3 months

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

Hepatic

• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• PT and PTT ≤ 1.1 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine normal OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
• Calcium normal
• Uric acid normal

Cardiovascular

• QTc ≤ 500 msec
• CPK and troponin normal
• No significant cardiac disease
• No history of cardiac hypertrophy
• No history of serious ventricular arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation > 3 beats in a row)
• No atrial fibrillation
• No uncontrolled dysrhythmias
• No poorly controlled angina
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure

Other

• Potassium ≥ 4 mmol/L
• Magnesium ≥ 2 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active or ongoing infection
• No other concurrent uncontrolled illness
• No psychiatric illness or social situation the would preclude study compliance
• No other malignancy within the past 2 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent biologic agents

Chemotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, including palliative chemotherapy, (6 weeks for mitomycin or nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No prior cumulative dose of doxorubicin more than 450 mg/m^2
• No prior FR901228 (depsipeptide)
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from prior surgery

Other

• No concurrent therapy for infection
• No concurrent agents that cause QTc prolongation
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No concurrent hydrochlorothiazide
• No other concurrent drugs with histone deacetylase inhibitor activity (e.g., sodium valproate)
• No other concurrent antineoplastic or investigational agents