Gefitinib in Treating Children With Refractory Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed solid tumor at original diagnosis * Refractory to conventional therapy and other therapies of higher priority according to the COG Phase I/II priority list or no conventional therapy exists * No primary CNS tumors or known metastases to the CNS * Performance status - Karnofsky 50-100% (over 10 years of age) * Performance status - Lansky 50-100% (10 years of age and under) * At least 8 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count at least 50,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent) * Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL (RBC transfusion allowed) * Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT no greater than 3 times ULN * Albumin at least 2 g/dL * Creatinine normal for age * Glomerular filtration rate at least 70 mL/min * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No uncontrolled infection * At least 6 months since prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) * No evidence of active graft-versus-host disease * At least 1 week since prior biologic agents * At least 1 week since prior hematopoietic growth factors * Recovered from prior immunotherapy * At least 2 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered * No concurrent tamoxifen * At least 2 weeks since prior local palliative (small port) radiotherapy * At least 6 months since prior craniospinal radiotherapy or radiotherapy to 50% or more of the pelvis (6 weeks for radiotherapy to other substantial amount of bone marrow) * Recovered from prior radiotherapy * No concurrent drugs with known corneal toxicity (e.g., chlorpromazine, Amiodarone, or chloroquine) * No concurrent enzyme-activating anticonvulsants * No concurrent proton pump inhibitors or H-2 blockers within 4 hours of gefitinib administration