Perifosine in Treating Patients With Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically confirmed advanced soft tissue sarcoma
* Measurable disease; measurable disease lesions that are being monitored for response and have been previously irradiated must have progressed \> 25% since completion of radiation therapy
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/uL
* PLT \>= 100,000/uL
* Total bilirubin =\< upper normal limit (UNL)
* AST =\< 2.5 x UNL
* Creatinine =\< UNL or calculated creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min (i.e. using the Cockcroft-Gault or Jeliffe methods)
* Life expectancy \>= 12 weeks
* ECOG performance status (PS) 0 or 1
* Capable of understanding the investigational nature, potential risks and benefits of the study and able to provide valid informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any of the following as this regimen may be harmful to a developing fetus or nursing child:

  * Pregnant women
  * Breastfeeding women
  * Men or women of childbearing potential or their sexual partners who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, birth control pills, injections, intrauterine device \[IUD\], surgical sterilization, subcutaneous implants, or abstinence, etc.)
  * NOTE: Pregnant women are excluded from this study because perifosine is an alkylphospholipid with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects; because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with perifosine, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with perifosine
* Any of the following:

  * \>= 3 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens for metastatic sarcoma
  * Chemotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Nitrosoureas or mitomycin C =\< 6 weeks prior to study entry
  * Radiotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Immunotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Biologic therapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry
  * Failure to recover from acute, reversible effects of prior therapy regardless of interval since last treatment
* Other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (utilized for a non-FDA-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation)
* Uncontrolled brain metastases; NOTE: these patients are excluded because of the poor prognosis and because they often develop progressive neurologic dysfunction that would confound the evaluation of neurologic and other adverse events; however, if brain metastasis are treated and controlled for \> 8 weeks, the patient would be eligible for this study
* History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to perifosine
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, symptomatic cardiac arrhythmia despite appropriate therapy, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* HIV-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy; NOTE: these patients are excluded from the study because of possible pharmacokinetic interactions with perifosine; appropriate studies may be undertaken in patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy when indicated
* Prior malignancy, except for the following:

  * Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
  * Adequately treated noninvasive carcinoma
  * Other invasive cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for 5 years