Arsenic Trioxide, Thalidomide, Dexamethasone, and Ascorbic Acid in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM)
• * Relapsed or refractory disease
• Monoclonal immunoglobulin spike by serum electrophoresis of ≥ 1 gm/dL AND/OR urine monoclonal immunoglobulin spike of ≥ 200 mg/24 hours
• Has received ≥ 2 prior treatment regimens for MM
• None of the following are allowed:
• * Non-secretory MM
• * Plasma cell leukemia
• * Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 18
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• Platelet count ≥ 50,000/mm\^3 (30,000/mm\^3 if the bone marrow is extensively infiltrated)
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• AST and ALT \< 3.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin \< 2.0 times ULN
• Renal
• Not specified
• Cardiovascular
• No cardiac disease, including any of the following conditions:
• * History of recurrent supraventricular arrhythmia
• * History of sustained ventricular tachycardia
• * History of second or third degree AV block
• * History of left bundle branch block
• * Cardiomyopathy with LVEF \< 40%
• * Uncontrolled ischemic heart disease
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• No prolonged QT interval \> 500 ms
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• No HIV positivity
• No neuropathy \> grade 3
• Potassium ≥ 4 mEq/L
• Magnesium ≥ 1.8 mg/dL
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• Not specified
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• Not specified
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior investigational drugs