Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-hematological cancer that is
unresponsive to available therapies or for which there is no known effective
treatment

- Measurable or evaluable disease

- Clinical or radiological evidence of disease required

- No active brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

- 16 and over

Performance status:

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

- At least 3 months

Hematopoietic:

- Absolute neutrophil count at least 2,000/mm^3

- Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

- Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

- ALT and AST no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

- Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

- Ejection fraction at least 50%

- No significant arrhythmias

- No congestive heart failure

Other:

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No dementia or altered mental status

- No known HIV infection

- No active infection

- No other serious uncontrolled medical disorder that would preclude study
participation

- No known allergies to soy products, rice flour, or gelatin (if receiving study
dietary soy supplementation)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

- At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

- No concurrent prophylactic colony-stimulating factors

Chemotherapy:

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)

- Prior taxanes allowed

- No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

- No concurrent hormonal therapy except hormone replacement therapy or medication used
to maintain castrate status for patients with progressive hormone-refractory prostate
cancer

Radiotherapy:

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

- No prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow-containing areas

- No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

- Not specified

Other:

- At least 4 weeks since prior investigational agents

- No other concurrent experimental anticancer therapy