SB-715992 in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Solid Tumors or Hodgkin's or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically confirmed malignancy that is metastatic or unresectable and for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective; patients with solid hematologic malignancies (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas) may be included as long as a bone marrow has been performed within 6 weeks of enrollment * Prior chemotherapy is allowed; patients may not have received chemotherapy for 4 weeks prior to the initiation of study treatment and must have full recovery from the acute effects of any prior chemotherapy; patients must not have had nitrosoureas or mitomycin C for 6 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment * Prior radiation therapy is allowed; patients must have completed radiation at least 4 weeks prior to initiation of study treatment; patients who have received prior radiation to 50% or more of their total marrow volume will be excluded * Prior treatment with EGFR inhibitors is allowed; prior experimental therapies (non FDA-approved agents) and immunotherapies are allowed; patients may not have received these therapies for 4 weeks prior to the initiation of study treatment and must have a full recovery from the acute effects of these therapies * ECOG performance status =\< 2 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) * Life expectancy of \> 12 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/uL * Platelets \>= 100,000/uL * Total bilirubin =\< normal institutional limits * AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) =\< 2.5 X institutional u…