7-Hydroxystaurosporine and Irinotecan Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Solid Tumors or Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Currently Accruing Only Triple-negative Breast Cancer Patients Since 6/8/2007)

You may be eligible if

• Part I (closed to accrual as of 6/8/2007)
• * Histologically confirmed solid tumor that is metastatic or unresectable for which standard curative measures do not exist or are no longer effective, including the following:
• * Gastrointestinal tract cancer
• * Lung cancer
• * Breast cancer
• * Ovarian cancer
• * Endometrial cancer
• * Cervical cancer
• * Prostate cancer
• * Head and neck cancer
• * Patients with or without measurable or evaluable disease allowed
• * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion \> 20 mm by conventional techniques or ≥ 10 mm with spiral CT scan
• * Tumor markers allowed for evaluable disease
• * Positive bone scan, osteoblastic metastases, and pleural or peritoneal effusions are not considered measurable or evaluable disease
• * No known brain metastases
• Part II
• * Histologically confirmed (either primary or the recurrent site) locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer not amendable to surgery
• * Measurable disease
• * For skin lesions, documentation by color photography and estimation of lesion size with a ruler are required
• * Must have undergone prior therapy with an anthracycline and a taxane either in the adjuvant or metastatic setting
• * CNS metastasis allowed provided stable disease (i.e., no evidence of local progression) ≥ 3 months after local therapy
• * Hormone receptor status:
• * Estrogen receptor negative
• * Progesterone receptor negative
• * HER-2 not amplified by fluorescence in situ hybridization
• Performance status - ECOG 0-2
• Performance status - Karnofsky 60-100%
• More than 12 weeks
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Bilirubin normal
• AST/ALT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• No Gilbert's disease
• No chronic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• No symptomatic cardiac dysfunction
• No symptomatic pulmonary dysfunction
• Oxygen saturation at least 90% by pulse oximetry on room air at rest and after walking 6 minutes
• No insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
• No other uncontrolled concurrent illness
• No active or ongoing infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study entry
• No prior allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to UCN-01 or irinotecan
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No concurrent granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (filgrastim \[G-CSF\] or sargramostim \[GM-CSF\]) during the first course of study
• See Disease Characteristics (Part II)
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• Prior irinotecan allowed
• Less than 4 prior chemotherapy regimens in the adjuvant and/or metastatic setting (Part II)
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Concurrent warfarin allowed
• Concurrent subcutaneous heparin allowed
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent anticonvulsants (e.g., carbamazepine, phenobarbital, or phenytoin)
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients