DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumor not amenable to curative surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy
• No brain metastases or primary brain tumors

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 3,500/mm3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3
• Hemoglobin greater than 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.2 mg/dL
• AST and/or ALT less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• PT no greater than ULN (anticoagulant independent)

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL AND/OR
• Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• LVEF at least 45% by MUGA or echocardiogram

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No prior bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation following high dose chemotherapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior biologic therapy for cancer and recovered
• No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) or sargramostim (GM-CSF)

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• See Biologic therapy
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen
• No prior vinca alkaloids
• Prior anthracycline allowed if total dose no greater than 300 mg/m2
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin or carmustine) and recovered

Endocrine therapy:

• At least 3 weeks since prior endocrine therapy for cancer and recovered

Radiotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 1 prior radiotherapy regimen
• At least 4 weeks since prior large field radiotherapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy for cancer and recovered

Surgery:

• Not specified