Inclusion criteria

• Patients with advanced solid tumors whose disease has progressed despite standard therapy or for whom no standard therapy exists
• Age ≥ 18 years old
• Patients must have adequate laboratory values
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2
• Ability to swallow capsules or tablets

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with active central nervous system (CNS) disease or brain metastases except those who have been previously treated and have been stable for at least 3 months.
• Patients with a second primary malignancy that is currently clinically significant or requiring active intervention
• Impaired heart function or clinically significant heart disease
• Impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function, or GI disease that may significantly alter the absorption of LBH589
• Ongoing diarrhea
• Liver or renal disease with impaired hepatic or renal functions
• Concomitant use of any anti-cancer therapy or certain drugs
• Female patients who are pregnant or breast feeding
• Patients not willing to use an effective method of birth control

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply