DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically and cytologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  • Soft tissue sarcoma
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumor that has progressed OR is intolerant to imatinib mesylate

• Measurable disease

  • At least 1 lesion ≥ 2.0 cm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 1.0 cm by spiral CT scan

• No known brain metastases

  • Treated brain metastases allowed provided symptoms are stable for at least 1 month after prior treatment

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL

Hepatic

• ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Fasting serum cholesterol ≤ 350 mg/dL
• Fasting triglycerides ≤ 400 mg/dL
• No diabetes
• No prior allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to CCI-779
• No active or ongoing infection
• No concurrent uncontrolled illness
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent prophylactic hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors

Chemotherapy

• Prior adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy allowed
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• No prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease except for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors who failed imatinib mesylate

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies
• No other concurrent investigational agents