Sulindac and Epirubicin in Treating Patients With Metastatic Malignant Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma * Metastatic disease * Tumor block available for resistance marker analysis * Measurable or evaluable disease * No active brain metastases except for patients who have undergone successful complete excision of solitary brain metastasis PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Karnofsky performance status 80-100% * ANC \> 1 x 10\^9/L * Platelet count \> 100 x 10\^9/L * Hemoglobin \> 9 g/dL * Serum bilirubin normal (except in patients with benign congenital hyperbilirubinemia) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Normal cardiac ejection fraction, cardiac wall motion, and ECG * No active heart disease, including any of the following: * Myocardial infarction within the past year * Pericarditis * Existing hypertension requiring treatment * No other active serious medical or psychiatric disease * No prior or concurrent malignancy, other than basal cell carcinoma of the skin , or carcinoma in-situ of the cervix PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * No prior anthracycline or anthracenedione-containing chemotherapy regimen * No prior cardiac radiotherapy * No major surgery within the past 2 weeks * No participation in any clinical trial within the past 4 weeks * No other concurrent anticancer therapies * Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed in patients with bony metastases with extra-osseous measurable or evaluable lesions * No other concurrent experimental medications