Combination Chemotherapy Plus Oblimersen in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically confirmed solid malignancy that is metastatic or unresectable and for which no standard curative therapy exists; patients with lymphoma are excluded * ECOG performance status 0, 1, or 2 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) * Life expectancy of greater than 3 months * Leukocytes \>= 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelets \>= 100,000/mm\^3 * Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits * AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal * Creatinine within normal institutional limits OR creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal * Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for three months after discontinuation of treatment; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document * Patients will need to have a central line or nurse-placed PICC line in place prior to treatment on the protocol Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier * Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents * Patients with known brain metastases will be excluded from this clinical trial * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to G3139 or other agents used in study, unless approved by investigator * No pre-existing grade \>= 2 neuropathy * No personal history of a bleeding diathesis given potential significant antiplatelet effects of therapy * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with G3139 * HIV-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study