Sodium Stibogluconate and IFNa-2b Followed By CDDP, VLB and DTIC Treating Pts.With Advanced Melanoma or Other Cancers

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed melanoma or other malignancies * Must be refractory or resistant to established treatments OR have metastatic disease for which no effective therapy has been established * Gliomas or controlled CNS metastasis allowed * A CT scan or MRI must confirm stable brain metastases within 28 days of study entry * Patients with primary CNS malignancies refractory to other therapies are eligible * Malignancy potentially responsive to sodium stibogluconate and/or interferon alfa-2b and combination chemotherapy * Patients must have measurable or evaluable disease * Evaluable disease can include clinically or radiographically nonmeasurable tumor, specific tumor markers, or stage IV patients with no evidence of disease (NED) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Inclusion criteria: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Granulocytes \> 1,500/μl * Platelets \> 100,000/μl * Creatinine \< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Bilirubin \< 1.5 x ULN * AST and ALT \< 1.5 x ULN (unless due to hepatic metastases) * Potassium ≤ 5.0 mmol/L * Magnesium ≤ 2.4 mg/dL * Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 cc/min * Ejection fraction ≥ 50% * Exclusion criteria: * Pregnant or lactating women and fertile women or men unless surgically sterile or using effective contraception * All female patients of childbearing potential or less than 1 year postmenopausal must have a negative β-HCG pregnancy test at baseline and practice a medically accep…