Pemetrexed Disodium and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Diagnosis of advanced or recurrent solid tumors

Patients for whom docetaxel is considered appropriate anticancer therapy; docetaxel is currently approved for use in patients with the following solid tumors:

Non-small cell lung (NSCLC)
Breast
Prostate
Esophageal
Head and neck
Ovarian
Gastric
Measurable or non-measurable disease
No squamous cell NSCLC

Controlled brain metastases allowed

Clinically stable with no signs of progression by MRI or CAT scan ≥ 60 days after treatment
Patients must be asymptomatic with no steroid requirements

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

ECOG performance status 0-1
Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3*
ANC ≥ 1,500/mm^3*
Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
Total bilirubin normal

AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) must meet one of the following criteria:

AST or ALT ≤ 3** times upper limit of normal (ULN) AND AP normal
AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN AND AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN
AST or ALT normal AND AP ≤ 5 times ULN
Calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min OR GFR measured by Tc99m-DPTA serum clearance method
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after completion of study treatment
Able to interrupt aspirin or other NSAIDs pre- and post- twice-monthly drug dosing
Able to take folic acid, vitamin B12, or corticosteroids
No uncontrolled serious active infections
No pre-existing peripheral neuropathy > grade 1
No significant cardiac disease (i.e., uncontrolled high blood pressure, unstable angina, congestive heart failure within the past 6 months, LVEF < normal, myocardial infarction within the past year, or serious cardiac arrhythmias requiring medication)
No known severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated in polysorbate 80 NOTE: *No concurrent colony-stimulating factors to maintain these values

NOTE: **For patients with liver metastases, AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN AND AP normal

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

See Disease Characteristics
Have received 0-1 prior systemic therapy regimens (prior adjuvant chemotherapy will be considered a prior systemic therapy regimen)
At least 4 weeks since prior systemic anticancer therapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C and nitrosoureas)
At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered from the side effects to ≤ grade 1
At least 2 weeks since prior pleurodesis
No concurrent radiotherapy