Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced solid tumor, including, but not
limited to the following:

- Non-small cell lung cancer

- Metastatic breast cancer

- Hormone-refractory prostate cancer

- Locally recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (including thyroid origin)

- Disease for which no standard therapy exists

- Tumor amenable to biopsy

- Measurable or non-measurable disease

- Brain metastases allowed provided patient has undergone brain irradiation (whole
brain or gamma knife) AND the metastases have been clinically and radiologically
stable for ≥ 6 weeks after completion of irradiation

- Patients requiring corticosteroids or anticonvulsants for brain metastases must
be on a stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroids and seizure free for ≥ 28
days before study enrollment

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Zubrod performance status 0-1

- ANC ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- SGOT or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

- PT/INR ≤ 1.1 times normal

- Serum creatinine ≤ 1.8 times ULN OR measured or estimated creatinine clearance > 50
mL/min

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after
completion of study treatment

- Willing to undergo two tumor biopsies and blood and tissue sample submission for
correlative laboratory studies

- No clinically significant cardiovascular event, including any of the following:

- Myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident within the past 3 months

- Unstable angina pectoris

- NYHA class II-IV heart disease within the past 3 months

- Symptomatic congestive heart failure

- Serious cardiac arrhythmia

- No history of cardiac disease that, in the investigator's opinion, increases the risk
of ventricular arrhythmia

- No history of arrhythmia that is symptomatic or requires treatment (CTCAE grade 3),
including any of the following:

- Multifocal premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)

- Bigeminy or trigeminy

- Ventricular tachycardia

- Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation

- Medically controlled atrial fibrillation allowed

- No asymptomatic sustained ventricular tachycardia

- No history of or evidence of any of the following on ECG:

- History of QTc prolongation as a result from other medication that required
discontinuation of that medication

- Congenital long QT syndrome

- First degree relative with unexplained sudden death under 40 years of age

- Presence of left bundle branch block

- QTc with Bazett's correction that is unmeasurable or ≥ 480 msec on screening ECG

- No uncontrolled hypertension, defined as consistent systolic BP > 160 mm Hg or
consistent diastolic BP > 100 mm Hg despite medical management

- No intractable nausea or vomiting

- No concurrent active diarrhea that may affect the ability to absorb or tolerate
vandetanib

- No gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease resulting in malabsorption syndrome or a
requirement for IV alimentation

- No uncontrolled inflammatory GI disease (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)

- No history of allergic reactions attributed to docetaxel or compounds of similar
chemical or biological composition to vandetanib, including other quinazoline
compounds (e.g., gefitinib or erlotinib)

- No history of deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism requiring therapeutic
anticoagulation

- No known HIV positivity

- No other concurrent uncontrolled illness, including, but not limited to the
following:

- Ongoing or serious active infection

- Psychiatric illness or social situation that would limit compliance with study
requirements

- Prior or concurrent malignancies of other histologies within the past 5 years allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- Recovered from prior therapy (i.e., ≤ grade 2 alopecia and ≤ grade 1 toxicity from
all other adverse events)

- Prior docetaxel as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents
allowed provided there is potential clinical benefit present, in the investigator's
opinion, from the combination of docetaxel and vandetanib

- No prior vandetanib

- No prior surgical procedures affecting absorption

- More than 14 days since prior drugs with a short half-life (e.g., sorafenib or
sunitinib) (approval by study coordinator required)

- More than 28 days since prior major surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy

- More than 28 days since prior investigational agents

- More than 2 weeks since prior and no concurrent medications associated with a risk of
causing Torsades de Pointes

- No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation (coumadin, warfarin, or low-molecular
weight heparin)

- Low-dose anticoagulation for indwelling catheter maintenance allowed

- No concurrent medication that may cause QTc prolongation

- No other concurrent chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or
any other type of therapy for the treatment of cancer, except for the following:

- Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists

- Bisphosphonates