Everolimus, Carboplatin, and Etoposide in Treating Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer or Other Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced solid tumors for which curative standard treatments are not available * Ten additional patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer are accrued to the expanded cohort once a maximum tolerate dose (or a dose for further exploration) is determined * Must be chemotherapy naive * Measurable or evaluable disease * Prior irradiated disease sites are considered measurable if there is clear disease progression following radiation therapy * No uncontrolled brain or leptomeningeal metastases (including those requiring glucocorticoids) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Zubrod performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy \> 3 months * Granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Creatinine ≤ 1.3 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance \> 40 mL/min * Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL (regardless of liver involvement) * SGOT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * INR ≤ 1.3 (≤ 3 if on anticoagulation) * Fasting serum cholesterol ≤ 300 mg/dL\* * Fasting triglycerides ≤ 2.5 times ULN\* * No severe and/or uncontrolled medical co-morbidities or other conditions that could affect participation in the study including, but not limited to, the following: * Unstable angina pectoris, symptomatic congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction ≤ 6 months prior to first study treatment * Serious uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia * Severely impaired lung function * Active (acute or chronic) or uncontrolled infection * Non-malignant medical illness that is uncontrolled or that the control may be jeopardized by the study therapy * Liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis, chronic persistent hepatitis) * No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (i.e., fasting serum glucose \> 1.5 times ULN) * No HIV seropositivity * Not pregnant or nursing * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No oral, implantable, or injectable contraceptives * No impairment of gastrointestinal function or gastrointestinal disease that may significantly alter the absorption of everolimus (e.g., ulcerative disease, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome, or small bowel resection) * No active, bleeding diathesis * No known hypersensitivity to everolimus or other rapamycins (e.g., sirolimus, temsirolimus) or to its excipients * Must be able to take and retain oral medication * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 as per NCI CTCAE vs. 3 NOTE: \*In case one or both of these thresholds are exceeded, the patient can only be included after initiation of appropriate lipid-lowering medication. PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * Recovered from prior therapy * More than 3 weeks since prior and no concurrent investigational drugs * At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy * At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery or completion of radiotherapy * No immunization with attenuated live vaccines within the past week or during study therapy * No prior treatment with an mTOR inhibitor (e.g., sirolimus, temsirolimus, or everolimus) * No chronic treatment with systemic steroids or other immunosuppressive agents * No concurrent oral anti-vitamin K medication (except low dose coumadin) * No concurrent medications interfering with everolimus * No other concurrent anticancer agents