Irinotecan and 3-AP in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically confirmed malignancy that is metastatic or unresectable and for which standard curative or palliative chemotherapy measures do not exist or are no longer effective * Patients must not have previously received irinotecan * Patients must not have received radiation to \> 25% of bone marrow * ECOG performance status =\< 2 * Life expectancy of greater than 12 weeks * Leukocytes \>= 3,000/μl * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/μl * Platelets \>= 100,000/μl * Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits * AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal * Creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dl OR creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal * Patients must have measurable or evaluable disease * Patients must have baseline screening for G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficiency; G6PD must be no lower than the lower limit of normal prior to starting study treatment; patients who are above the upper limit of normal may enroll in the trial * The effects of Triapine® on the developing human fetus are unknown; for this reason and because heterocyclic carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazones as well as other therapeutic agents used in this trial are known to be teratogenic, 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 and for the duration of study participation; 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 must have a baseline screening test for UGT1A1; the UGT1A1 cannot be the 7/7 genotype; patients who have any other combinations (6/6, 6/7, 5/7, etc.) may enroll in the trial Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study * Patients who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier; patients with grade 1 adverse events from prior therapies are eligible at the investigator's discretion * Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to Triapine® or other agents used in study * 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 because Triapine® is a heterocyclic carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects; because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with Triapine®, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with Triapine®; these potential risks may also apply to other agents used in this study * Patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy; therefore, HIV-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study because of possible pharmacokinetic interactions with Triapine® or other agents administered during the study; appropriate studies will be undertaken in patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy when indicated * Patients with known G6PD deficiency are excluded * Patients with a history of myocardial infarction or severe pulmonary disease requiring oxygen are excluded * Because of the potential for enzyme-inducing anticonvulsant agents (EIACAs) to alter the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of irinotecan, patients who are taking EIACAs are excluded * Metastatic brain or meningeal tumors unless the subject is \> 6 months from definitive therapy, had a negative imaging study within 4 weeks of study entry and is clinically stable with respect to the tumor at the time of study entry; also the patient must not be undergoing acute steroid therapy or taper * Patients with UGT1A1 7/7 genotype are excluded