Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

One of the following diagnoses:

Histologically confirmed advanced primary or metastatic solid tumor, including, but not limited to, the following:

Androgen-independent prostate cancer
Breast cancer
Ovarian cancer
Head and neck cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer
Bladder cancer
Kidney cancer

Diagnosis of lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including, but not limited to, the following:

Intermediate-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma must be ineligible for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

For patients with solid tumors (except prostate cancer):

Disease progression based on development of new lesions or an increase in pre-existing lesions
Biochemical marker increase must not be sole criterion for disease progression

For prostate cancer patients only:

Disease progression based on rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, transaxial imaging, or radionuclide scans
Increase in disease-related symptoms must not be sole manifestation of progression
Patients receiving an antiandrogen as part of first-line hormonal therapy must show disease progression off of the antiandrogen prior to study

Biochemical progression (at least 25% increase over range of values) defined as 1 of the following:

Rising PSA documented by at least 3 consecutive measurements obtained at least 1 week apart
Rising PSA documented by at least 2 consecutive measurements obtained more than 1 month apart

PSA at least 4 ng/mL

Testosterone no greater than 50 ng/mL
If no prior orchiectomy, must maintain castrate levels of testosterone
Disease must be refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative therapy exists
No active CNS or epidural tumors

Hormone receptor status:

Not specified NOTE: A new classification scheme for adult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been adopted by PDQ. The terminology of "indolent" or "aggressive" lymphoma will replace the former terminology of "low", "intermediate", or "high" grade lymphoma. However, this protocol uses the former terminology.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

18 and over

Sex

Male or female

Menopausal status

Not specified

Performance status

Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy

Not specified

Hematopoietic

WBC at least 3,500/mm^3
Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3 (patients with solid tumors)
Platelet count greater than 25,000/mm^3 (patients with hematologic malignancy)
Absolute neutrophil count at least 500/mm^3 (patients with hematologic malignancy)

Hepatic

Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
AST and ALT no greater than 3 times ULN
PT no greater than 15 seconds

Renal

Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease

Pulmonary

No severe debilitating pulmonary disease

Other

No infection requiring IV antibiotics
No other severe medical problems that would preclude study participation
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy

At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

See Disease Characteristics
At least 4 weeks since prior ketoconazole
At least 2 weeks since prior steroids for patients with lymphoma
Concurrent gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs or diethylstilbestrol to maintain castrate levels of testosterone allowed for prostate cancer patients
No concurrent ketoconazole

Radiotherapy

At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
No concurrent radiotherapy to sole measurable lesion

Surgery

See Disease Characteristics
No concurrent surgery

Other

Recovered from all prior therapy
At least 4 weeks since prior palliative therapy for solid tumor patients with progressive metastatic disease (if present)
At least 4 weeks since prior investigational anticancer therapeutic drugs
At least 2 weeks since prior conventional cytotoxic therapy for patients with leukemia or MDS
At least 4 weeks since prior investigational therapy for patients with leukemia or MDS
No other concurrent investigational drugs
No other concurrent anticancer agents