OUTLINE: This is a dose escalation, multicenter study. Patients receive 3-AP IV continuously over 96 hours. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with complete response receive treatment for 1 course past the course in which the complete response was documented; patients with partial response may receive treatment for up to 1 year; and patients with stable disease may receive treatment for up to 6 months. During the accelerated phase of the study, cohorts of 1 patient each receive escalating doses of 3-AP until one patient experiences dose limiting toxicity (DLT) or 2 different patients experience grade 2 toxicity during any course. When the accelerated phase ends, cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of 3-AP until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience DLT.