DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumors or lymphoma meeting all of the following criteria:

  • Metastatic or unresectable disease
  • No therapy with survival benefit for disease available
  • No standard curative or palliative measures available
• Measurable or evaluable disease

• No known brain metastases

  • Patients with metastatic brain disease that has remained stable for ≥ 6 months after treatment of the metastases without steroids or antiseizure medications may be allowed at the discretion of the principal investigator

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2 or Karnofsky PS 60-100%
• Life expectancy > 3 months
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 2 months after completion of study treatment
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to other synthetic triperinoids or compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to CDDO, such as derivative compounds CDDO-Im and CDDO-Me
• No active or uncontrolled infection
• No immune deficiencies or confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C
• No uncontrolled diabetes
• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia
• No psychiatric illness or social situations that would limit study compliance
• No other clinically significant illness that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy or biologic therapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C and 8 weeks for UCN-01) and recovered
• At least 1 month since prior radiation therapy or major surgery
• At least 2 weeks since prior participation in a phase 0 study
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies