Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid in Treating Patients With Metastatic and/or Locally Advanced or Locally Recurrent Thyroid Cancer

You may be eligible if

• Histologically confirmed thyroid cancer
• * One of the following subtypes:
• * Papillary thyroid cancer
• * Follicular thyroid cancer
• * Hürthle cell thyroid cancer
• * Insular thyroid cancer
• * Medullary thyroid cancer
• * Mixed histology thyroid cancer
• * Poorly differentiated thyroid cancer
• * Tall-cell thyroid cancer
• * Metastatic and/or locally advanced or locally recurrent disease
• Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• * Lesions in a previously irradiated area allowed provided there has been subsequent disease progression of the irradiated lesions
• * The following are not considered measurable disease:
• * Bone lesions
• * Leptomeningeal disease
• * Ascites
• * Pleural or pericardial effusion
• * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
• * Abdominal masses not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
• * Cystic lesions
• Not a candidate for radioactive iodine I\^131 therapy
• Performance status - ECOG 0-1
• At least 6 months
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to study drug
• No ongoing or active infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No other uncontrolled illness
• No other active malignancy except nonmetastatic nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• More than 4 weeks since prior systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of thyroid cancer
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior external beam radiotherapy
• At least 24 weeks since prior radioactive iodine I\^131 therapy
• Recovered from prior therapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior valproic acid or any other histone deacetylase inhibitor
• More than 4 weeks since prior investigational tumor-specific therapy
• Concurrent oral or IV bisphosphonates for bony metastases allowed at the discretion of the investigator
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent tumor-specific or investigational therapy
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No concurrent adjuvant therapy for another cancer