Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Refractory Advanced Solid Tumors or Hematologic Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of 1 of the following: * Histologically confirmed advanced primary or malignant solid tumor refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists * Progressive disease evidenced by 1 of the following: * Non-prostate cancer (including, but not limited to, breast, ovary, head and neck, non-small cell lung, bladder, kidney, colon, stomach, or malignant melanoma) * Development of new lesions or an increase in existing lesions * No increase in a biochemical marker (e.g., carcinoembryonic antigen, CA-15-3, or an increase in symptoms) as sole measure of disease * Prostate cancer (androgen independent) meeting the following criteria: * Progressing metastatic disease on bone scan, CT scan, or MRI * Metastatic disease and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values meeting 1 of the following criteria: * At least 3 rising PSA values obtained at least 1 week apart = 2 rising values more than 1 month apart with at least 25% increase over the range of values * Serum testosterone less than 30 ng/mL * Castrate status should be maintained by medical therapies if orchiectomy has not been performed * Progressive disease must be evident off antiandrogen therapy if received prior to study entry * Registered to protocol MSKCC-9040 * Cytologically confirmed chronic, accelerated, or blastic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-posit…