Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

- Histologically confirmed malignant pleural mesothelioma

- Meets 1 of the following criteria for first-line or second-line chemotherapy:

- Patients in the first-line setting must be unsuitable for, cannot access
locally, or refuse combination chemotherapy

- Patients in the second-line setting must be unsuitable for, cannot access
locally, or refuse cytotoxic chemotherapy after failure of a first-line regimen

- Second-line patients may not have received more than 1 prior line of
antineoplastic treatment for this cancer

- Pleural effusions should be drained before treatment whenever possible

- Talc or tetracycline pleurodesis may be used per standard practice for
uncontrollable pleural effusions (recurrent despite regular drainage)

Exclusion criteria:

- Symptomatic or known brain or leptomeningeal metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

- Neutrophil count ≥ 1,500 mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min

- AST and ALT < 3 times upper limit of normal

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during study therapy

Exclusion criteria:

- Pregnant or breastfeeding

- History of prior malignant tumor within the past 3 years except for nonmelanoma skin
tumor or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

- Patients suitably fit to receive a platinum doublet based chemotherapy (first-line
only)

- Uncontrolled or severe cardiovascular disease including any of the following:

- Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

- New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure

- Uncontrolled angina

- Clinically significant pericardial disease

- Cardiac amyloidosis

- Neuropathy ≥ grade 2 OR grade 1 with pain

- Serious medical (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, hepatic disease, or infection) or
psychiatric illness that would interfere with study participation

- Patients with known HIV or hepatitis B or C infection

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No prior bortezomib

- No prior extensive radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or other antineoplastic
therapy within 4 weeks before enrollment

- No preplanned surgery or procedures that would interfere with the study

- More than 4 weeks since enrollment in another therapeutic clinical trial (i.e.,
received an experimental drug or used an experimental medical device)

- Concurrent participation in non-treatment studies is allowed provided they do
not interfere with participation in this study

- No concurrent experimental or antineoplastic agent other than bortezomib

- Medications that may have antineoplastic activity, but are taken for other
reasons than specific antineoplastic effect (e.g., megestrol [Megace®],
cyclo-oxygenase-2 [COX-2] inhibitors, or bisphosphonates) are allowed