Soblidotin and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors
• Minimally pretreated
• Not refractory to prior gemcitabine therapy
• No disease progression during initial treatment with gemcitabine
• No symptomatic brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)

Renal

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

• Ejection fraction at least 40% by MUGA

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No psychiatric disorder that would preclude study consent or compliance
• No concurrent severe or uncontrolled underlying medical disease unrelated to the tumor that would compromise patient safety or affect study outcome
• No hypersensitivity to gemcitabine
• No other malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix unless in complete remission and off all therapy for that disease for at least 2 years
• No serious infection
• No grade 2 or greater neuropathy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent anticancer biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from prior chemotherapy
• No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• Recovered from prior radiotherapy
• No concurrent anticancer radiotherapy
• Concurrent localized palliative radiotherapy to a non-indicator lesion for pain control allowed only if other methods of pain control are ineffective

Surgery

• At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered

Other

• More than 28 days since prior investigational drugs, including analgesics or antiemetics
• At least 4 weeks since prior myelosuppressive therapy
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No other concurrent anticancer cytotoxic therapy