Docetaxel and Temozolomide in Treating Patients With Metastatic Cancer

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of a nonhematologic malignancy that is refractory to standard therapy OR for which no standard therapy is available * Measurable (by CT scan) or evaluable disease * If palliative radiotherapy has been administered, the measurable disease must be outside the radiation port * Prior brain metastasis allowed provided it was definitely treated with external-beam radiotherapy, gamma knife, or surgical resection and is clinically stable * Repeat MRI or CT scans must demonstrate stabilization of disease 4 weeks after the definitive therapy is completed AND there must be no requirement for dexamethasone * No active CNS metastasis PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy ≥ 4 months * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (epoetin alfa and/or transfusions allowed) * Creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL * Bilirubin normal * PT normal, unless the patient is on warfarin for prior deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolus, requiring INR maintained at 2.0 - 3.0 * Sodium and potassium normal * AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN * No decompensated cardiac arrhythmia or other severe cardiovascular disease (i.e., New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] class III-IV heart disease) * Patients with clinically stable NYHA class III or IV heart disease require cardiac clearance * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 * No infection requiring IV antibiotics within the past 14 days * No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80 * No HIV positivity * No hepatitis B surface antigen or hepatitis C antibody positivity * No pulmonary embolus within the past 3 weeks * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use 2 methods of effective contraception PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * No more than 3 courses of prior immunotherapy and/or chemotherapy for metastatic disease * Interferon alfa in the adjuvant setting is not considered a course of prior therapy * Patients who relapse on adjuvant interferon alfa must be off therapy for ≥ 3 weeks * No prior stem cell or organ transplantation * More than 21 days since prior immunotherapy or chemotherapy * At least 21 days since prior hormonal therapy (except luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone \[LHRH\] agonists) or radiotherapy and recovered * More than 21 days since prior surgery requiring general anesthesia * No concurrent radiotherapy * Concurrent LHRH agonist therapy allowed * Concurrent physiologic replacement steroids allowed * No other concurrent chemotherapy or thalidomide * No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) or sargramostim (GM-CSF) during study chemotherapy