AT7519M in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors or Refractory Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following: * Advanced and/or metastatic solid tumor * No more than 3 prior regimens for metastatic disease * Refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma * Clinically or radiologically documented disease * Patients whose only evidence of disease is tumor marker elevation are not eligible * No untreated brain or meningeal metastases * Patients with radiologic or clinical evidence of stable, treated brain metastases are eligible provided they are asymptomatic AND have no requirement for corticosteroids PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ * Creatinine ≤ 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min * Bilirubin normal * ALT and AST ≤ 2 times ULN (5 times ULN if patient has documented liver metastases) * Potassium normal * Calcium normal * Creatine kinase (CK or CPK) ≤ 2 times ULN * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No pre-existing cardiovascular conditions and/or symptomatic cardiac dysfunction, including any of the following: * Significant cardiac event (including symptomatic heart failure or angina) within the past 3 months or any cardiac disease that, in the opinion of the investigator, increases the risk for ventricular arrhythmia * Any history of ventricular arrhythmia, which was symptomatic or required treatment (CTC grade 3), including multifocal PVCs, bigeminy, trigeminy, or ventricular tachycardia * Uncontrolled hypertension * Previous history of QT prolongation with other medication * Congenital long QT syndrome * QT and QTc, with Bazett's correction, unmeasurable or ≥ 460 msec on screening ECG * LVEF \< 45 % by MUGA for patients with significant cardiac history (i.e., myocardial infarction, severe hypertension, or arrhythmia) or prior doxorubicin (\> 450 mg/m²) * No active or uncontrolled infections * No serious illness or medical condition that would preclude study compliance * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 21 days since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy and recovered (solid tumors) * At least 21 days since prior palliative radiotherapy and recovered * Exceptions may be made for low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy * Prior hormonal, immunologic, biologic, or signal transduction inhibitor therapy allowed * At least 14 days since prior major surgery and recovered (no nonhealing wounds) * At least 4 weeks since prior steroids * No other concurrent medications which affect QT/QTc and cannot be discontinued * No other concurrent experimental drugs or anticancer therapy