Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors, Breast Cancer or Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the maximum tolerated dose, recommended phase II dose, and associated toxic effects of BMS-247550 in patients with advanced solid tumors. * Determine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationship of this treatment regimen in these patients. * Assess the extent of microtubule bundle and mitotic aster formation and cell cycle kinetics in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in these patients treated with this regimen. * Determine any evidence of antitumor activity of this treatment regimen in these patients. * Evaluate the relationship between tumor response and the occurrence of mutation in the class 1 isotype of B-tubulin and B-tubulin isotype distribution in patients with advanced or recurrent solid tumors, ovarian cancer, or breast cancer treated with this regimen. * Investigate Multi-Drug Resistance Gene (MDR1), Multidrug Resistance-associated Protein (MRP) Gene, and canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter 1(cMOAT) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression as prognosticators of tumor response in these patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the relationship between stathmin expression and phosphorylation status as a function of response in these patients treated with this regimen. * Correlate the expression of proapoptotic (p53, bax, bad, and bid) and antiapoptotic (survivin, inhibitors of apoptotic proteins, bcl-2, and bcl-x) proteins in tumor samples and/or ascites with response and clinical outcome in these patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation, multicenter study. * Part I: Patients with advanced solid tumors receive BMS-247550 IV over 1 hour every 3 weeks. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of BMS-247550 until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. * Part II: Patients with ovarian, breast, or other cancer receive BMS-247550 as in the part I portion of the study at the MTD. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed at 2 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 42-66 patients will be accrued for this study within 12-16 months.