Interferon Alfa in Treating Patients With Stage IV Solid Tumors, Lymphoma, or Myeloma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed malignancy, including, but not limited to, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, breast carcinoma, lymphoma, myeloma, or tumors of endothelial origin
• * Stage IV disease
• * Refractory to standard therapy
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• * Evaluable disease can include clinically or radiographically nonmeasurable tumor or specific tumor markers
• Patients with prior solitary CNS metastasis allowed
• * Must have had prior definitive therapy ≥ 3 months previously
• * No requirement for glucocorticoids unless for physiologic replacement
• No multiple CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-1
• Granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Creatinine ≤ 1.3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR
• Creatinine clearance of 60 mL/min
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.3 times ULN
• AST ≤ 5 times ULN
• No pregnant or lactating women
• Fertile women and men, unless surgically sterile, must use effective contraception
• No history of serious cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment
• No congestive heart failure
• No angina pectoris
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV disease
• No other severe cardiovascular disease
• No known seizure disorder
• No known HIV or hepatitis B surface antigen positivity
• No active clinical infection requiring antibiotics within the past 7 days
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 months since prior interferon therapy and/or ≤ 400 million units of interferon
• At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery requiring general anesthesia
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy
• Treatment with hormones or other chemotherapeutic agents may not be administered except for steroids given for preexisting adrenal failure or hormones administered for nondisease-related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes)
• No prior organ allograft
• No concurrent dexamethasone, other steroidal antiemetics, or anti-inflammatories
• No concurrent palliative radiotherapy