Dimesna in Treating Patients With Solid Tumors Who Are Undergoing Treatment With Cisplatin and Paclitaxel

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, tumor types for which no standard treatment exists, or tumor types that have failed standard therapy
• Paclitaxel and cisplatin combination therapy must be an appropriate option in treating disease
• No potentially curable type of cancer (e.g., newly diagnosed testicular cancer)
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 6 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC greater than 4,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin normal
• SGOT and SGPT normal
• Renal:
• Creatinine normal
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• Cardiovascular:
• No evidence of congestive heart failure
• No uncontrolled moderate to severe hypertension
• Includes patients with persistent elevated systolic blood pressures of greater than 170 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressures of greater than 100 mm Hg for more than 1 month while under medical treatment
• Other:
• No active infection
• No perceived or actual clinical risk of cisplatin induced toxicity that exceeds the clinical benefit of using cisplatin therapy
• No known history of severe hypersensitivity to polyoxyl 35 castor oil vehicle
• No severe medical problems unrelated to malignancy that would interfere with compliance in this study
• Not pregnant
• Effective contraception required of all fertile patients
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No concurrent colony stimulating factors except for febrile neutropenia
• No concurrent aminoglycoside therapy except for febrile neutropenia or other life threatening infections
• No concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy:
• At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosoureas or mitomycin
• At least 3 weeks since other prior chemotherapy
• No other concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• No prior radiotherapy to measurable disease
• Surgery:
• At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery
• Other:
• No other concurrent investigational agents