Panobinostat and Epirubicin in Treating Patients With Metastatic Malignant Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Cytologically or histologically confirmed solid tumor malignancy for which no curative therapy exists * Metastatic disease * Measurable or evaluable disease (i.e., elevated CA-125 or elevated PSA for patients with ovarian cancer or prostate cancer, respectively) * Disease amenable to biopsy AND patient willing to undergo biopsies (for patients enrolled in the dose expansion cohort only) * No uncontrolled CNS metastasis * Stable CNS metastasis allowed provided patient has undergone complete surgical resection, gamma knife radiotherapy (for isolated lesions) or whole-brain radiotherapy AND the metastasis has been stable for ≥ 6 weeks PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * WBC \> 3,000/mm³ * ANC \> 1,500/mm³ * Hemoglobin \> 9.0 g/dL (RBC transfusion allowed) * Platelet count \> 100,000/mm³ * AST/ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.3 times ULN * Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min by 24-hour urine collection * Total serum calcium (corrected for serum albumin) or ionized calcium ≥ lower limit of normal * Serum potassium ≥ 4.0 mEq/L (supplementation allowed) * Serum magnesium normal (supplementation allowed) * Serum sodium ≥ 130 mEq/L * Serum albumin ≥ 3 g/dL * Elevated alkaline phosphatase or gamma-glutamyl-transferase due to bone metastasis or liver metastasis allowed * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective double-method (including barrier) contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment * QTc \< 460 ms * No evidence of significant active infection (e.g., pneumonia, cellulitis, or wound abscess) * No impaired cardiac function, including any of the following: * Complete left bundle branch block or use of a permanent cardiac pacemaker * Congenital long QT syndrome * History or presence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias * Clinically significant resting bradycardia (\< 50 beats per minute) * QTcF \> 470 msec on screening ECG * Right bundle branch block plus left anterior hemiblock (bifascicular block) * Atrial fibrillation (ventricular heart rate \> 100 beats per minute) * Angina pectoris or acute myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure * LVEF \< 50% on baseline MUGA or ECHO * No history of seizures PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * No prior cumulative anthracycline dose \> 300 mg/m² of doxorubicin hydrochloride or \> 480 mg/m² of epirubicin hydrochloride * More than 5 days since prior valproic acid * More than 3 weeks since prior and no other concurrent chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, or experimental anticancer therapy for the primary disease * No other concurrent HDAC inhibitors * No concurrent medications that may induce torsades de pointes or cause QTc prolongation * No other concurrent investigational or anticancer therapy * No concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors (including grapefruit or grapefruit juice) and/or CYP3A4 inducers * No concurrent anti-arrhythmic therapy