DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumor*, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Other soft tissue sarcomas
  • Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors
  • Osteosarcoma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Wilms' tumor
  • Hepatic tumors
  • Germ cell tumors
  • Primary brain tumors
  • Brain stem or optic gliomas (histological confirmation may be waived if a biopsy has not been performed) NOTE: *Closed to accrual for all diagnoses except neuroblastoma as of 4/16/05
• Relapsed after or failed to respond to frontline standard therapy and no other standard treatment options (e.g., surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or any combination of these modalities) exist
• Measurable or evaluable disease* NOTE: *Not required for patients with neuroblastoma
• No CNS tumor with motor or sensory deficits that would obscure the study assessment of sensory neuropathy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and under

Performance status:

• Lansky 60-100% (age 10 and under)
• Karnofsky 60-100% (age 11 to 18)

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• ALT and AST no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN for patients treated after the maximum tolerated dose is determined)
• No clinically significant hepatic dysfunction

Renal:

• Creatinine normal for age OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• No clinically significant renal dysfunction

Cardiovascular:

• LVEF normal by echocardiogram

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No allergy to sulfa-containing medications
• No clinically significant unrelated systemic illness (e.g., other organ dysfunction) that would preclude study participation
• No serious infection
• No preexisting grade 2 or greater sensory or motor neuropathy
• HIV negative

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 months since prior bone marrow transplantation
• At least 72 hours since prior interleukin-11
• At least 72 hours since prior colony-stimulating factors (e.g., filgrastim [G-CSF] or sargramostim [GM-CSF]) except epoetin alfa

• No concurrent growth factors (e.g., GM-CSF) except epoetin alfa

  • Concurrent G-CSF allowed if neutropenia lasts longer than 5 days OR if the patient experiences confirmed septicemia associated with neutropenia
• No concurrent immunotherapy
• No concurrent interleukin-11

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 30 days since prior chemotherapy (42 days for nitrosoureas)
• No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Patients with brain tumors:

  • Must be on a stable or tapering dose of corticosteroids for 7 days before baseline scan performed for the purpose of assessing response to study therapy
  • Concurrent corticosteroids allowed for control of symptoms of tumor-associated edema

Radiotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• At least 4 months since prior extensive radiotherapy (craniospinal radiotherapy, total body irradiation, or radiotherapy to more than 50% of the pelvis)
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics

Other:

• Recovered from prior therapy
• At least 30 days since prior investigational anticancer therapy
• No other concurrent investigational agents