OUTLINE: This is a dose escalation study. Patients receive LY231514 IV over 10 minutes followed by irinotecan IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Courses repeat every 3 weeks in the absence of disease progression and unacceptable toxicity. Cohorts of 3-6 patients each receive escalating doses of LY231514 and irinotecan. If escalation of one drug in the combination results in unacceptable dose limiting toxicity (DLT), the drug is not escalated further. Instead, the dose of that drug is decreased to its safe dose, and the second drug is escalated until unacceptable DLT results. If DLT occurs in 2 of up to 6 patients at any level, dose escalation is stopped. The maximum tolerated dose is defined as the highest dose at which fewer than 2 of 6 patients experience DLT during courses 1 or 2.