Thalidomide and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed malignancy not amenable to curative surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy
• Tumor types may include any of the following:
• * Any solid tumor including, but not limited to, head and neck, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, melanoma, and sarcoma
• * Primary CNS neoplasms if the following are true:
• * Received primary radiotherapy
• * No concurrent corticosteroids or has been on a stable corticosteroid dose for at least 30 days
• * No concurrent enzyme-inducible anti-epileptic medications (i.e., carbamazepine or phenytoin)
• * Multiple myeloma
• * Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• No refractory or relapsed acute or chronic leukemia
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• No life-prolonging therapy available
• Hormone receptor status:
• * Not specified
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Sex
• Male or female
• Menopausal status
• Not specified
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• At least 4 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC at least 4,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST and/or ALT no greater than 2.5 times ULN if alkaline phosphatase less than ULN OR
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 4 times ULN if AST/ALT less than ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 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 2 effective methods of contraception 4 weeks before, during, and 4 weeks after study
• Willing and able to comply with FDA-mandated STEPS program
• No peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or greater
• No prior severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• No more than 2 prior courses of mitomycin
• Endocrine therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Radiotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior large-field radiotherapy and recovered
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• At least 3 weeks since other prior anticancer therapy and recovered