Doxorubicin and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed soft tissue sarcoma

  * Locally recurrent or metastatic disease
* At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion

  * At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
* No prior or concurrent known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* Karnofsky 80-100% OR
* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
* No bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy

Hepatic

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.2 mg/dL
* AST and ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal
* PT and aPTT normal

Renal

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
* Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
* No proteinuria (must be less than 500 mg protein per 24 hours)

Cardiovascular

* Cardiac ejection fraction at least 50% by echocardiogram or MUGA
* No history of deep vein thrombosis
* No clinically significant cardiovascular disease
* No uncontrolled hypertension
* No myocardial infarction
* No unstable angina
* No New York Heart Association grade II-IV congestive heart failure
* No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
* No grade II or greater peripheral vascular disease within the past year

Pulmonary

* No history of pulmonary embolism

Other

* No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or greater
* No other neoplastic disease within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No prior allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to bevacizumab (including products derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells), doxorubicin, or dexrazoxane
* No HIV-positive patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy
* No ongoing or active infection
* No psychiatric illness or social situations that would preclude study entry
* No other uncontrolled concurrent illness
* No serious, non-healing wound ulcer or bone fracture
* No significant traumatic injury within the past 3 weeks
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* See Chemotherapy
* At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered
* No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy

* No prior doxorubicin or any other anthracyclines
* No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen

  * The following are not considered prior chemotherapy:

    * Immunotherapy, including cytokines
    * Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists or thalidomide
* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for carmustine or mitomycin) and recovered
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

* At least 3 weeks since prior major surgical procedure or open biopsy
* At least 1 week since prior needle biopsy

Other

* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No concurrent full-dose anticoagulants (except to maintain patency of preexisting, permanent indwelling IV catheters) or thrombolytic agent

  * Concurrent warfarin allowed if INR less than 1.5
* No concurrent chronic daily aspirin (more than 325 mg/day) or nonsteroidal anti -inflammatory medications known to inhibit platelet function
* No other concurrent investigational or commercial agents or therapies for this malignancy