DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM)

  • Active disease

• Relapsed or refractory disease after ≥ 1 prior therapy for MM, that may have included autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation

  • Relapse is defined as the occurrence of any of the following during or after prior treatment:

    • Myeloma protein level increase by > 100% from the lowest previously recorded level
    • Myeloma protein level increase above the defined response criteria for partial remission
    • Reappearance of any myeloma peak that had disappeared during the prior treatment
    • Increase in the size and number of lytic bone lesions and/or focal lesions by x-ray, MRI, positron emission tomography, and/or CT scan
  • Refractory disease is defined as no response (i.e., not achieving complete remission, remission, or partial remission) to prior therapy
• Measurable disease
• No evidence of POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, presence of M-protein, and skin changes) syndrome
• Must be registered on protocol SWOG-S0334

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-2 (unless due to bone pain)

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count > 1,000/mm^3
• Platelet count > 50,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• AST or ALT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 3 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine clearance > 30 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• No poorly controlled hypertension

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile female patients must use effective double method contraception for ≥ 4 weeks before, during, and for ≥ 4 weeks after completion of study treatment (during and for 4 weeks after completion of study treatment for male patients)
• No blood, ova, or sperm donation during study treatment
• No active infection requiring antibiotics
• No neurotoxicity ≥ grade 2
• No diabetes mellitus
• No other serious medical or psychiatric illness that would preclude study treatment
• No other malignancy within the past 3 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy

• At least 14 days since prior chemotherapy (28 days for nitrosoureas) and recovered

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• At least 14 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No prior bortezomib alone or combined with thalidomide
• Concurrent participation on protocol SWOG-S0309 allowed