Paclitaxel Albumin-Stabilized Nanoparticle Formulation in Treating Patients With Advanced or Refractory Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Patients must have an incurable advanced or refractory tumor amenable to treatment with paclitaxel albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation (nab-paclitaxel) * Per the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the following cancer sites have been shown to be responsive to taxane therapy: * Prostate cancer * Breast cancer * Non-small cell lung cancer * Bladder cancer * Head and neck cancer * Oral cancer * Cervical cancer * Ovarian cancer * Endometrial cancer * Esophageal cancer * Gastric cancer * Germ cell tumors * Tumors of unknown primary * Soft tissue sarcomas * Small cell lung cancer * Testicular cancer * Upper genitourinary tract cancers PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Patients must have performance status 0-2 by the ECOG scale * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/μL * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL * Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL * Bilirubin ≤ institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 x ULN * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 x ULN (if bone metastasis is present in the absence of liver metastasis, alkaline phosphatase must be ≤ 5 x ULN) * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN * Patients must not have baseline sensory neuropathy ≥ grade 2 * Women must not be pregnant or breastfeeding * Negative blood or urine pregnancy test * Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must agree to use an accepted and effective method of contraception PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * Prior treatment is allowed, which may include prior taxane therapy * If patient has had prior therapy(ies), s/he must have received last treatment ≥ 28 days prior to registration * Patients must not be receiving colony stimulating factors (CSFs) * Previous CSFs must have been discontinued \> 14 days prior to registration * Patients must not be receiving concomitant treatment with any of the following (prior use is allowed, but must have been discontinued ≥ 28 days prior to registration): * Phenytoin * Carbamazepine * Barbiturates * Rifampicin * Phenobarbital * Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) * Ketoconazole