Gemcitabine Hydrochloride and Alvocidib in Treating Patients With Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No active infection * No severe malnutrition * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens: * Prior combined modality therapy (e.g., full-dose chemotherapy with radiosensitizing chemotherapy and radiotherapy) is considered 1 prior regimen if all therapy was delivered as part of 1 comprehensive treatment plan * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered * No other concurrent chemotherapy * At least 6 months since prior radiotherapy to the lung parenchyma or mediastinum and no evidence of radiation pneumonitis on chest CT scan * At least 4 weeks since other prior radiotherapy and recovered * No prior radiotherapy to more than 50% of marrow volume * No concurrent radiotherapy * Histologically confirmed solid tumor for which gemcitabine is a treatment option OR for which no efficacious therapy exists * Must meet criteria for 1 of the following: * Measurable disease: * At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion at least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan * Nonmeasurable disease, including any of the following: * Small lesions (less than 20 mm by conventional techniques OR less than 10 mm by spiral CT scan) * Bone lesions * Cytologically positive pleural or peritoneal disease * Elevated tumor markers (e.g., carcinoembryonic antigen, CA 125, CA 19-9, or other tumor marker) * Multinodular or confluent nonmeasurable pulmonary, hepatic, adrenal, intra-abdominal, or skin metastases * No active CNS metastases * Previously treated CNS metastases must be stable with no symptoms for 4 weeks after completion of treatment AND patient must be off steroid therapy or on a stable dose for at least the past 2 weeks * No known leptomeningeal metastases * Performance status: * ECOG 0-1 * Hematopoietic: * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3; * Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 * Hepatic: * Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL; * SGOT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal * Renal: * Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR * Creatinine clearance at least 50 mL/min * Cardiovascular: * None of the following within the past 6 months: * Myocardial infarction; * Unstable angina; * Transient ischemic attack; * Cerebrovascular accident * No new cardiac arrhythmia possibly related to cardiac ischemia; * No large and potentially symptomatic pericardial effusion; * No cardiac disease that would preclude study participation * Pulmonary: * No pulmonary embolism within the past 6 months; * No large and potentially symptomatic pleural effusion; * No pulmonary disease that would preclude study participation * Gastrointestinal: * No intractable emesis; * No grade 2 or greater chronic diarrheal disease within the past 6 months * Not pregnant or nursing