FAU in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors or Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• Measurable disease by CT scan and/or MRI
• Archival tumor tissue sample available for correlative pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenomic studies
• Accessible tumor tissue available (for patients enrolled in the expanded maximum tolerated dose \[MTD\] cohort)
• No known active brain metastases but previously treated brain metastases allowed
• ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 70-100%
• AST and ALT =\< 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (=\< 5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• Alkaline phosphatase =\< 2.0 times ULN (=\< 5 times ULN if bone or liver metastases are present)
• Bilirubin normal
• Creatinine normal or creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Willing to undergo tumor biopsies for correlative pharmacodynamic studies (for patients enrolled in the expanded MTD cohort)
• Able to lie still for PET scan
• Weight =\< 300 lbs
• No uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:
• * Ongoing or active infection
• * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
• * Unstable angina pectoris
• * Cardiac arrhythmia
• * Psychiatric illness/social situation that would preclude compliance with study requirements
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to FAU
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas, mitomycin C, or bleomycin), immunotherapy, or experimental therapy and recovered
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy to \> 5% of total marrow volume
• No prior radiotherapy to \>= 50% of total marrow volume
• More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy to =\< 5% of total marrow volume
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• ANC \>= 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm\^3
• Life expectancy \> 12 weeks
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed malignant solid tumor for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective
• Solid hematologic malignancies (e.g., Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma) allowed provided bone marrow biopsy has been performed within the past 6 weeks
• Metastatic or unresectable disease
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy (e.g., cytotoxic therapy, biologic therapy, radiotherapy, or hormonal therapy)
• Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed
• Concurrent megestrol acetate or bisphosphonates allowed provided they were started 1 month prior to study enrollment
• Concurrent luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists to maintain castrate levels of testosterone allowed for patients with prostate cancer