Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced solid tumor not amenable to conventional surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy
• No brain metastases or primary brain tumors
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 3,500/mm\^3
• Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin less than 1.6 mg/dL
• AST and ALT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
• PT and PTT normal OR
• INR less than 1.1
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min
• Cardiovascular:
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No extensive signs of macular degeneration, including exudative or atrophic macular lesions reducing corrected vision to less than 20/40
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin or nitrosoureas) and recovered
• Prior platinum-containing agents and taxane exposure allowed with no evidence of neurotoxicity
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• No concurrent vitamin A supplements
• No concurrent supplemental antioxidants