Flavopiridol Plus Cisplatin or Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed unresectable advanced solid tumor for which no standard therapy exists that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy

  • Biopsy confirmation of recurrent tumors required, unless sole site of disease is inaccessible bony and/or pulmonary metastases
• Eligible solid tumors include, but not are limited to, prostate cancer, breast cancer, or melanoma
• No lymphoma

• No CNS metastases

  • Patients with primary brain tumors are eligible if they are not receiving antiepileptic medication(s) but are receiving stable doses of corticosteroids

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Sex:

• Not specified

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 3,500/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,700/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 8 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin within upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST and ALT no greater than 2.5 times ULN
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No history of angina

Neurologic:

• No grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy
• No seizure disorder

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No uncontrolled infection

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy
• No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin and nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy:

• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics