PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy: At least 6 months Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 3,500/mm3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL OR SGOT less than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Renal: Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL OR Creatinine clearance greater than 40 mL/min Cardiovascular: No significant heart disease (New York Heart Association class III or IV) Pulmonary: No severe debilitating pulmonary disease Other: No narcotic dependent pain No extreme dietary patterns (such as a macrobiotic diet) No baseline diet having fewer than 25% calories from fat No history of second malignancy within past 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer No insulin-dependent diabetes No infection requiring antibiotics