Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Refractory Advanced Solid Tumors or Hematologic Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of 1 of the following:
• Histologically confirmed advanced primary or malignant solid tumor refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists
• Progressive disease evidenced by 1 of the following:
• Non-prostate cancer (including, but not limited to, breast, ovary, head and neck, non-small cell lung, bladder, kidney, colon, stomach, or malignant melanoma)
• Development of new lesions or an increase in existing lesions
• No increase in a biochemical marker (e.g., carcinoembryonic antigen, CA-15-3, or an increase in symptoms) as sole measure of disease
• Prostate cancer (androgen independent) meeting the following criteria:
• Progressing metastatic disease on bone scan, CT scan, or MRI
• Metastatic disease and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values meeting 1 of the following criteria:
• At least 3 rising PSA values obtained at least 1 week apart = 2 rising values more than 1 month apart with at least 25% increase over the range of values
• Serum testosterone less than 30 ng/mL
• Castrate status should be maintained by medical therapies if orchiectomy has not been performed
• Progressive disease must be evident off antiandrogen therapy if received prior to study entry
• Registered to protocol MSKCC-9040
• Cytologically confirmed chronic, accelerated, or blastic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative therapy exists
• Progressive disease evidenced by 1 of the following:
• Accelerated or blastic phase disease that is not responsive to standard therapy or loss of hematologic response to imatinib mesylate while remaining in chronic phase for CML
• Relapsed or refractory after treatment with standard chemotherapy and imatinib mesylate for Ph-positive ALL
• No active CNS or epidural tumor
• Hormone receptor status:
• Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Sex:

• Not specified

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 6 months

Hematopoietic:

• WBC greater than 3,500/mm^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3
• No restrictions based on peripheral blood counts for CML and Ph-positive ALL

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST less than 1.5 times ULN
• Prothrombin time normal

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• Ejection fraction greater than 45% by radionuclide cardiac angiography
• No ventricular aneurysm or other abnormal wall motion
• No reversible defect by thallium stress test if any of the following conditions are present:
• Ejection fraction less than 45% on radionuclide angiocardiography
• Worrisome but nonexclusive cardiovascular history
• Abnormal echocardiogram
• Patients with the following history or clinical findings require additional diagnostic testing:
• Significant Q waves (greater than 3 mm or greater than one-third of the height of the QRS complex)
• ST elevation or depressions of greater than 2 mm that are not attributable to hypertension strain
• Absence of regular sinus rhythm
• Bundle branch block
• Requirement for diuretics for reasons other than hypertension or digoxin for reasons other than atrial fibrillation
• Prior mild to moderate congestive heart failure
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No angina pectoris
• No uncontrolled hypertension or intermittent claudication
• No severe debilitating valvular disease

Pulmonary:

• No severe debilitating pulmonary disease

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active infection requiring IV antibiotics
• No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or higher
• No other severe medical conditions that would increase risk for toxicity
• No allergy to eggs or egg products

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy (including interferon for CML) and recovered

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (3 days for hydroxyurea for CML or ALL) and recovered
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior endocrine therapy and recovered

Radiotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Concurrent radiotherapy to localized disease sites not being used to evaluate antitumor response allowed
• No concurrent radiotherapy to only measurable lesion

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior orchiectomy allowed
• No concurrent surgery

Other:

• At least 3 days since prior imatinib mesylate for CML or ALL
• At least 4 weeks since prior investigational anticancer drugs and recovered
• At least 4 weeks since prior palliative treatment for metastatic disease
• No concurrent ketoconazole, warfarin, verapamil, miconazole, or erythromycin
• No other concurrent investigational drugs