PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Absolute neutrophil count at least 750/mm3 without transfusion Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL without transfusion Platelet count at least 50,000/mm3 without transfusion Hepatic: AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL if concurrent indinavir therapy) Renal: Creatinine no greater than 1.8 mg/dL OR Creatinine clearance at least 50 mL/min Other: Not pregnant Fertile patients must use effective contraception No known allergy to Cremophor or Cremophor based drug product No concurrent uncontrolled serious infection such as: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia Toxoplasma brain abscess CMV retinitis or colitis Cryptococcal meningitis Symptomatic Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare No other active malignancy except: Basal cell carcinoma of the skin Carcinoma in situ of the cervix No other acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition