DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumor

  • Recurrent or refractory disease

  • Histologic confirmation may have been made at original diagnosis or relapse

    • Histologic confirmation not required for intrinsic brain stem tumors, optic pathway gliomas, or pineal tumors with elevations of serum or CSF alpha-fetoprotein or beta-HCG
• No known curative therapy or therapy proven to prolong survival with an acceptable quality of life
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• Patients with seizure disorder may be enrolled if on anticonvulsants and well controlled
• Neurologic deficits in patients with CNS tumors must have been clinically stable for at least the past week
• CNS toxicity ≤ grade 2

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Karnofsky performance status (PS) 50-100% (patients > 16 years of age) or Lansky PS 50-100% (patients ≤ 16 years of age)

  • Patients who are unable to walk because of paralysis, but who are up in a wheelchair, will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of assessing the performance score
• ANC ≥ 1,000/mm³*
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³* (transfusion independent)
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL* (may receive RBC transfusions) NOTE: * Unless due to bone marrow involvement by tumor.

• Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR serum creatinine based on age/gender as follows:

  • 0.6 mg/dL (for patients 1 year of age)
  • 0.8 mg/dL (for patients 2 to 5 years of age)
  • 1 mg/dL (for patients 6 to 9 years of age)
  • 1.2 mg/dL (for patients 10 to 12 years of age)
  • 1.5 mg/dL (males) or 1.4 mg/dL (females) (for patients 13 to 15 years of age)
  • 1.7 mg/dL (males) or 1.4 mg/dL (females) (for patients ≥ 16 years of age)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) for age
• ALT ≤ 110 U/L
• Serum albumin ≥ 2 g/dL
• PT/INR < 1.2 times ULN
• Seizure disorder may be allowed provided well controlled on anticonvulsants
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
• Random or fasting blood glucose normal for age
• No uncontrolled infection
• No known type I or II diabetes mellitus
• No patients who, in the opinion of the investigator, may not be able to comply with the safety monitoring requirements of the study
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cixutumumab or temsirolimus

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• See Patient Characteristics
• Fully recovered from the acute toxic effects of all prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy
• At least 2 months since prior stem cell transplant or rescue and no evidence of active graft-versus-host-disease
• More than 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosourea)

• More than 6 weeks since prior major surgery

  • Patients with history of recent minor surgical procedures (e.g., vascular catheter placement, bone marrow evaluation, laparoscopic surgery) are eligible
• At least 7 days since prior hematopoietic growth factors that support platelet or white cell number or function
• At least 7 days since prior therapy with a biologic (antineoplastic) agent
• At least 6 weeks since prior monoclonal antibodies
• Patients receiving corticosteroids must be on a stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroid for the 7 days prior to enrollment
• At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative radiation therapy (small port)
• At least 3 months since prior total-body irradiation, craniospinal radiation therapy, or radiation to ≥ 50% of pelvis
• At least 6 weeks since other prior substantial bone marrow radiation therapy
• No prior temsirolimus or monoclonal antibody therapy targeting IGF-1R
• No concurrent insulin or growth hormone therapy
• No concurrent enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants
• No concurrent potent CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors (i.e., erythromycin, clarithromycin, ketoconazole, azithromycin, itraconazole, grapefruit juice, or St. John wort)
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or biologic therapy