ABT-888 and Gemcitabine Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion criteria

* Histologically confirmed solid tumors meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Progressive disease following standard therapy * Disease for which acceptable standard treatment options do not exist * May have received 0-2 prior chemotherapeutic regimens (single-agent or combination chemotherapies) * Willing to undergo BRCA mutation analysis * Known BRCA mutations allowed * All patients, at any dose level, without a known BRCA mutation undergo screening with the BRCAPRO program to assess the likelihood of having a BRCA mutation * Patients with a BRCAPRO likelihood of gene mutation of ≥ 20% must undergo BRCA gene testing by the Myriad Genetic Laboratories in order to participate in the study * Patients are eligible whether they have a known deleterious BRCA 1 or 2 mutation or a mutation of uncertain significance * No CNS disease (e.g., brain metastases or glioma) * No active seizure or history of seizure disorder * ECOG performance status 0-2 (Karnofsky 60-100%) * Life expectancy \> 3 months * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin \< 2.0 mg/dL * AST and ALT \< 3 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/min * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Able to swallow pills * HIV-positive patients allowed provided that CD4 counts are \< 500 and not on protease inhibitors * No uncontrolled diarrhea * No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Ongoing or active infection * Symptomatic congestive heart failure * Unstable angina pectoris * Cardiac arrhythmia * Psychiatric illness or social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * No other concurrent anticancer therapies or agents * More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C or nitrosoureas) and recovered * Prior gemcitabine hydrochloride or PARP inhibition therapy, including ABT-888, allowed * No prior combination of gemcitabine hydrochloride and any PARP inhibitor * Concurrent bisphosphonate IV allowed provided treatment was initiated before study therapy (for patients with bone metastases or hypercalcemia) * Patients with prostate cancer must continue luteinizing-hormone releasing-hormone agonist therapy and discontinue antiandrogens (≥ 6 weeks since bicalutamide and ≥ 4 weeks since flutamide) * No other concurrent investigational agents