Sorafenib and Erlotinib in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed solid tumor

  * Metastatic or unresectable disease
* Standard curative or palliative measures do not exist OR are no longer effective
* Measurable disease by radiography (for patients treated at the maximum tolerated dose \[MTD\] only)
* Tumor accessible for serial biopsies (for patients treated at the MTD only)
* No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* ECOG 0-2 OR
* Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy

* More than 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

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

Hepatic

* Bilirubin normal
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* PT INR ≤ 1.5 unless on full-dose warfarin

Renal

* Creatinine normal OR
* Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

* No uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., systolic blood pressure \[BP\] \> 140 mm Hg or diastolic BP \> 90 mm Hg despite medication)
* No symptomatic congestive heart failure
* No unstable angina pectoris
* No cardiac arrhythmia

Ophthalmic

* No abnormalities of the cornea, including any of the following:

  * Dry eye syndrome
  * Sjögren's syndrome
  * Congenital abnormalities (e.g., Fuch's dystrophy)
  * Abnormal slit-lamp examination using a vital dye (e.g., fluorescein or Bengal-Rose)
  * Abnormal corneal sensitivity test (e.g., Schirmer test or similar tear production test)

Gastrointestinal

* No active peptic ulcer disease that would impair the ability to swallow pills
* No gastrointestinal tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral medication or a requirement for IV alimentation

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Willing to undergo serial biopsies, positron emission tomography, and CT scanning (for patients treated at the MTD only)
* No ongoing or active infection
* No significant traumatic injury within the past 3 weeks
* No history of allergic reaction to drugs of similar chemical or biological composition to study drugs
* No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
* No other condition that would impair the ability to swallow pills
* No other uncontrolled illness

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* No concurrent prophylactic hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors

Chemotherapy

* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy (except for low dose, non-myelosuppressive radiotherapy) and recovered

Surgery

* More than 3 weeks since prior major surgery
* No prior surgical procedure affecting absorption

Other

* No prior sorafenib or erlotinib
* No other prior agents targeting Raf, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor, or epidermal growth factor receptor
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
* No concurrent enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital)
* No concurrent CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., rifampin or Hypericum perforatum \[St. John's wort\])
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy
* Concurrent prophylactic anticoagulation therapy (e.g., low-dose warfarin) allowed provided PT INR \< 1.1 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Concurrent full-dose anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin) with PT INR \> 1.5 allowed provided both of the following criteria are met:

  * Patient has an in range INR (between 2-3) while on a stable-dose of oral anti-coagulant OR a stable-dose of low molecular weight heparin
  * No active bleeding OR pathological condition that would confer a high risk of bleeding (e.g., tumor involving a major vessel or known varices)