Alvocidib in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Refractory Solid Tumors or Hematologic Malignancies

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed malignancy, including the following types: * Hematologic malignancy, including any of the following: (Accrual for patients with hematologic malignancies temporarily closed as of 11/30/04) * Mantle cell lymphoma * Morphologically confirmed disease * CD20 and CD5 positive * Any other refractory lymphoma * Chronic lymphocytic leukemia * Rai stage III or IV and meeting at least 1 of the following criteria for active disease: * Weight loss \> 10% in the last 6 months * Fatigue * Fever or night sweats with no evidence of infection * Progressive anemia or thrombocytopenia * Progressive lymphocytosis with a lymphocyte doubling time of \< 6 months * Marked hypogammaglobulinemia or paraproteinemia * Progressive splenomegaly and/or lymphadenopathy * Multiple myeloma * Disease confirmed by bone marrow aspirate and/or biopsy * Relapsed or refractory disease after the most recent treatment regimen * Quantifiable monoclonal immunoglobulin in serum and/or urine * Solid tumor, including but not limited to any of the following: * Breast cancer * Histologically or cytologically confirmed stage IV invasive disease * HER-2 positivity not required for study enrollment * Tumor overexpressing HER-2 should be confirmed by immunohistochemistry OR fluorescence in situ hybridization * Small cell lung cancer * Extensive stage or limited stage disease in relapse * Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma allowed * Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck * Metastatic, recurrent, or refractory disease * Renal cell carcinoma * Mesothelioma * Pleural or peritoneal disease of epithelial, sarcomatoid, or mixed subtype * Melanoma * Kaposi's sarcoma * Metastatic or unresectable disease for which standard therapy does not exist or is no longer effective * Measurable or nonmeasurable disease (solid tumor patients) * Measurable disease defined as at least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques or 10 mm by spiral CT scan * Nonmeasurable disease includes any of the following: * All other lesions, including lesions \< 20 mm by conventional techniques or 10 mm by spiral CT scan * Bone lesions * Cytologically positive pleural or peritoneal disease * Elevated tumor marker (e.g., CEA, CA 125, CA 19-9, or other tumor marker) * Multinodular or confluent nonmeasurable pulmonary, hepatic, adrenal, intra-abdominal, or skin metastases * Previously treated with at least 1 chemotherapy regimen\* * Prior therapy may have included combined modality treatment (e.g., full-dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy with radiosensitizing chemotherapy) * Prior therapy with flavopiridol allowed provided the patient was enrolled in a flavopiridol clinical trial employing a different schedule NOTE: \*Except in cases where chemotherapy is not known to be effective (e.g., renal cell carcinoma, chondrosarcoma, or gastrointestinal stromal tumor) * No active CNS metastases * History of CNS metastases allowed provided all of the following criteria are met: * Previously treated and stable and asymptomatic for at least 4 weeks since the completion of treatment * Image documentation required * Off steroids or on a stable dose of steroids for at least 1 week * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified * Age * 18 and over * Sex * Male or female * Menopausal status * Not specified * Performance status * ECOG 0-1 OR * Karnofsky 70-100% * Life expectancy * More than 12 weeks * Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3\* * Platelet count \> 75,000/mm\^3 (50,000 for hematologic malignancies)\* (Accrual for patients with hematologic malignancies temporarily closed as of 11/30/04) NOTE: \*Unless abnormality is caused by tumor burden and not cumulative prior chemotherapy * Hepatic * Bilirubin normal * AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present) * Renal * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL OR * Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min * Cardiovascular * No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * No unstable angina within the past 6 months * No transient ischemic attack or cerebrovascular accident within the past 6 months * No history of arterial vascular events * No new cardiac arrhythmias likely to be related to cardiac ischemia within the past 6 months * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * Pulmonary * No history of pulmonary embolism within the past 6 months * Gastrointestinal * No chronic diarrheal disease within the past 6 months * No severe malnutrition * No intractable emesis * Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective hormonal or barrier contraception * No ongoing or active infection * No other concurrent uncontrolled illness * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) * At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy No prior radiotherapy to 50% or more of bone marrow * Recovered from all prior therapy No other concurrent investigational agents No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients