DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed invasive recurrent or metastatic thymoma or thymic carcinoma

  • Unresectable disease
  • Progressive disease
• Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as > 20 mm with conventional techniques or as > 10 mm with spiral CT scan
• Must have had at least one prior platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen
• Tumor not amenable to potentially curative therapy as assessed by the investigator

• No symptomatic brain metastases

  • Patients who have had treatment for their brain metastases and whose brain metastatic disease status has remained stable for ≥ 3 months without steroids allowed at the discretion of the principal investigator

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion Criteria:

• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy > 3 months
• Absolute neutrophil count > 1,500/μL
• Platelet count > 100,000/μL
• INR and PTT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless abnormality can be explained by the presences of lupus anticoagulant or in the therapeutic range if on anticoagulation)
• Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• AST and ALT ≤ 3 times ULN
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance > 45 mL/min
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for at least 2 months after completion of study treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Uncontrolled medical illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  • Ongoing or uncontrolled, symptomatic congestive heart failure (AHA class II or greater)
  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Unstable angina pectoris
  • Cardiac arrhythmia
  • Psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• Marked baseline prolongation of QT/QTc interval (e.g., repeated demonstration of a QTc interval > 500 msec)
• Long QT Syndrome
• HIV-positive patients

• History of another invasive malignancy in the past five years

  • Adequately treated noninvasive, nonmelanoma skin cancers, in situ carcinoma of the cervix, focal papillary adenocarcinoma of the thyroid allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Recovered to baseline or ≤ grade 1 from any acute toxicity related to prior therapy
• No limit to the number of prior chemotherapy regimens received for study disease
• No prior chemotherapy within the past 4 weeks
• No prior treatment with drugs of the HDAC inhibitor class

• At least 28 days since any prior radiotherapy or major surgery

  • Target lesions cannot be selected within previously irradiated areas, unless newly arising or clearly progressing after irradiation as proven by repeat scanning
• Concurrent corticosteroids for myasthenia gravis, other paraneoplastic syndromes, or other chronic conditions are allowed
• No other concurrent investigational agents or commercial therapies
• No concurrent alternative, complementary therapies or over-the-counter agents without approval of the principal investigator
• No concurrent medication that may cause QTc prolongation or Torsades de Pointes

• No concurrent use of any of the following medications:

  • Ketoconazole
  • Itraconazole
  • Ritonavir
  • Products containing grapefruit juice
  • Cyclosporine
  • Carbamazepine
  • Phenytoin
  • Phenobarbital
  • Prophylactic use of filgrastim (G-CSF) or sargramostim (GM-CSF)
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients