Ispinesib in Treating Young Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors or Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed malignancy at either original diagnosis or relapse, including the following: * Solid tumor, including primary CNS tumors * Neurologic deficits in patients with CNS tumors must have been relatively stable for ≥ 1 week * Patients with CNS tumors must be on stable or decreasing doses of dexamethasone for the past 7 days * Histology requirement waived for intrinsic brain stem tumors * Lymphoma * Measurable or evaluable disease * No known curative therapy or no therapy proven to prolong survival with an acceptable quality of life exists * Patients with known bone marrow metastases are eligible for study but are not evaluable for hematologic toxicity * Not known to be refractory to red blood cell or platelet transfusions * Karnofsky performance score (PS) 60-100% (\> 10 years of age) or Lansky PS 60-100% (≤ 10 years of age) * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving platelet transfusions within a 7-day period prior to study enrollment) * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (RBC transfusions allowed) * Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR creatinine based on age as follows: * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (≤ 5 years of age) * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (6 to 10 years of age) * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (11 to 15 years of age) * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (\> 15 years of age) * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal * ALT ≤ 45 U/L * Albumin ≥ 2 g/dL * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No evidence of active graft-vs-host disease * No uncontrolled infection * Recovered from the acute toxic effects of all prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy * More than 3 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) * More than 1 week since prior growth factors, including those that support platelet or WBC number or function * At least 1 week since prior biologic agents * At least 2 weeks since prior local, palliative, small-port external-beam radiotherapy * At least 6 months since prior total body irradiation (TBI), craniospinal radiotherapy, or radiotherapy to ≥ 50%of the pelvis * At least 6 weeks since other prior substantial bone marrow radiotherapy (i.e., skull, spine, pelvis, or ribs) * At least 3 months since prior stem cell transplantation or rescue without TBI * No other concurrent investigational drugs * No other concurrent anticancer agents, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or biologic therapy * No concurrent enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants, including any of the following: * Phenytoin * Phenobarbital * Felbamate * Primdone * Oxcarbazepine * Carbamazepine * No concurrent agents that inhibit CYP3A4, including any of the following: * Itraconazole * Ketoconazole * Voriconazole