- Patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis are excluded from this clinical trial because of their poor prognosis and because they often develop progressive neurologic dysfunction that would confound the evaluation of neurologic and other adverse events; patients with a history of brain metastases are eligible, providing that they have completed treatment for their brain metastases at least 1 week prior to enrollment, are asymptomatic from their brain metastases and are not taking steroids; screening for CNS disease is not required if patients do not have symptoms that might be related to CNS metastases; patients with such symptoms should be evaluated for the possibility of CNS disease prior to study participation