OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study. Patients receive suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) IV over 2 hours on days 1-3. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Accelerated Phase: One patient per dose level receives escalating doses of SAHA until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which a patient experiences grade 2 or greater toxicity (other than hemoglobin anemia) with the first course or when 2 different patients experience a grade 2 toxicity (other than hemoglobin anemia) during any course of treatment. Standard Phase: Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of SAHA until the MTD is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.