Romidepsin in Treating Patients With Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, or Solid Tumors With Liver Dysfunction

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed (at original diagnosis or subsequent recurrence or progression) lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) or solid tumor; patients with lymphoma or CLL must have radiologically or clinically evaluable disease, and be refractory to standard therapy as defined by relapse within 6 months of last treatment (see note below); patients with solid tumors must have radiologically or clinically evaluable disease that is metastatic, unresectable, progressive, or recurrent, and for which standard curative measures do not exist or are no longer effective * Patients with a liver mass, raised alpha-fetoprotein level (\>= 500 ng/mL) and positive serology for hepatitis, consistent with a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma will be eligible without the need for pathologic confirmation of the diagnosis * Patients with prostate cancer, renal cell cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, lung cancer, colorectal cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, glioma and thyroid cancer are excluded in the normal and mild cohorts due to a lack of efficacy in these tumor types in phase 2 studies; patients with breast, pancreatic, bladder, head and neck cancers, as well as melanoma and other malignancies are eligible * Note: patients with prostate cancer, renal cell cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, glioma and thyroid cancer are allowed to enroll in the moderate and severe cohorts provided the patients: …