Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed solid tumors

- Advanced metastatic disease

- Measurable or evaluable disease

- Must meet 1 of the following criteria:

- Failed prior standard therapy

- Not a candidate for standard therapy

- Has a disease for which there is no defined standard therapy

- No symptomatic brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG functional status 0-2

- Life expectancy ≥ 8 weeks

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3

- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL

- Bilirubin normal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60
mL/min

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- No prior anaphylactic reaction or severe allergic reaction to paclitaxel, docetaxel,
or gemcitabine hydrochloride

- No active infectious process that will require treatment with antibiotics for > 4
weeks

- No uncontrolled congestive heart failure

- No symptomatic coronary artery disease or heart block

- No myocardial infarction within the past 3 months

- No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 from any cause

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- More than 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or any other treatment

- No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of bone marrow

- No prior nitrosoureas

- No more than 6 prior courses of alkylating agents

- No more than 2 prior courses of mitomycin C

- No more than 3 prior courses of cytotoxic therapy for metastatic disease

- No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF), pegfilgrastim, or sargramostim (GM-CSF) during
study course 1