Sodium Stibogluconate and IFNa-2b Followed By CDDP, VLB and DTIC Treating Pts.With Advanced Melanoma or Other Cancers

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed melanoma or other malignancies * Must be refractory or resistant to established treatments OR have metastatic disease for which no effective therapy has been established * Gliomas or controlled CNS metastasis allowed * A CT scan or MRI must confirm stable brain metastases within 28 days of study entry * Patients with primary CNS malignancies refractory to other therapies are eligible * Malignancy potentially responsive to sodium stibogluconate and/or interferon alfa-2b and combination chemotherapy * Patients must have measurable or evaluable disease * Evaluable disease can include clinically or radiographically nonmeasurable tumor, specific tumor markers, or stage IV patients with no evidence of disease (NED) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Inclusion criteria: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Granulocytes \> 1,500/μl * Platelets \> 100,000/μl * Creatinine \< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Bilirubin \< 1.5 x ULN * AST and ALT \< 1.5 x ULN (unless due to hepatic metastases) * Potassium ≤ 5.0 mmol/L * Magnesium ≤ 2.4 mg/dL * Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 cc/min * Ejection fraction ≥ 50% * Exclusion criteria: * Pregnant or lactating women and fertile women or men unless surgically sterile or using effective contraception * All female patients of childbearing potential or less than 1 year postmenopausal must have a negative β-HCG pregnancy test at baseline and practice a medically acceptable method of birth control (i.e., oral contraceptives for at least 3 months, implantation of an intrauterine device for at least 2 months, or barrier methods \[e.g., vaginal diaphragm, vaginal sponge, or condom with spermicidal jelly\]) during and for 3 months after study initiation * History of atrial fibrillation, flutter, or other serious arrhythmia (excluding asymptomatic atrial or ventricular premature complexes) in the past 24 months * History of congestive heart failure currently requiring treatment; angina pectoris; or other severe cardiovascular disease (i.e., New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease) * Baseline ECG abnormalities suggestive of cardiac conduction delay (i.e., first degree or greater atrio-ventricular block and/or complete or incomplete \[QRS \> 120 ms\] bundle branch block) * Baseline ECG abnormalities suggestive of repolarization abnormalities (i.e., QTc ≥ 0.48 sec) * Culture positive acute infections requiring antibiotics within the past 14 days * Patients on long term suppressive antibiotic therapies are eligible * Known to be positive for HBsAg * Patients judged to not be psychologically prepared to understand informed consent or comply with an investigational study PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * Inclusion criteria: * Prior interferon therapy is allowed if administered ≥ 4 months ago * At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy * Exclusion criteria: * No prior treatment with interferon, sodium stibogluconate, cisplatin, vinblastine, or dacarbazine, except if given in an adjuvant setting * Patients with a prior history of solid organ allografts or allogeneic bone marrow transplant * Patients taking the following medications will not be eligible: * Amiodarone (Cordarone) * Disopyramide (Norpace) * Dofetilide (Tikosyn) * Procainamide (Procanbid or Pronestyl) * Quinidine (Quinaglute) * Sotalol (Betapace) * Erythromycin * Azithromycin (Z-pack) * Clarithromycin (Biaxin) * Pentamidine (Pentacarinat) * Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) * Bepridil (Vascor) * Phenothiazines (e.g., prochlorperazine \[Compazine\], promethazine \[Phenergan\], or chlorpromazine \[Thorazine\]) * Butyrophenones (e.g., Haloperidol \[Haldol\]) * Risperidone (Risperdal) * Any other antipsychotic medication * Tricyclic or tetracyclic antidepressants (e.g., imipramine \[Tofranil\], amitriptyline \[Elavil\], desipramine \[Norpramin\], or nortriptyline \[Pamelor\]) * Monoamine oxidase inhibitors * High-dose methadone * Arsenic trioxide * Dolasetron (Anzemet) * Any herbal preparations * Use of daily glucocorticoids except for physiological replacement