Temsirolimus in Treating Patients With Metastatic Solid Tumor or Lymphoma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery Who Have Different Levels of Liver Function

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed solid tumor or lymphoma that is metastatic or unresectable and for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective; all solid and lymphoma tumor types are eligible; patients with a liver mass (radiologically evident), elevated alpha-fetoprotein level (\>= 500 ng/mL), and positive serology for viral hepatitis or history of alcoholic cirrhosis consistent with a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma will be eligible without the need for pathologic confirmation of the diagnosis * Life expectancy of \>= 2 months * ECOG performance status =\< 2 (KPS \>= 50) * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,000/mcl, and * Platelets \>= 100,000/mcl, and * Serum creatinine =\< 1.5 x ULN OR calculated creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 * Patients with abnormal liver function will be eligible and will be grouped according to total bilirubin and AST (SGOT); no distinction will be made between liver dysfunction due to metastases and liver dysfunction due to other causes; for patient stratification, liver function tests should be repeated within 72 hours of starting initial therapy * Patients with biliary obstruction for which a shunt has been placed are eligible, provided the liver function tests have stabilized (two measurements at least tow days apart that put the patient in the same hepatic dysfunction stratum will be accepted as evidence of stable hepatic function); the…