Sorafenib and Anastrozole in Treating Postmenopausal Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed breast cancer
* Metastatic disease
* Measurable disease, defined as \>=1 unidimensionally measurable lesion, including \>= 1 of the following:

  * Lesion \>= 10 mm on CT scan (5 mm sections)
  * Lesion \>= 20 mm on CT scan or MRI (10 mm sections)
  * Bone disease that is \>= 10 mm on MRI
  * Lytic bone lesions that are \>= 10 mm on CT scan (with 5 mm sections) OR \>= 20 mm on plain film or CT scan (with 10 mm sections)
  * Lesion \>= 10 mm on physical exam
* Patients must have received \>= 1 prior aromatase inhibitor in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting and must have had either disease recurrence or disease progression on a prior aromatase inhibitor therapy
* No brain metastases diagnosed within the past 6 months OR previously untreated brain metastases
* Estrogen receptor-positive and/or progesterone receptor-positive, defined as \> 1% staining by immunohistochemistry or \> 10 fmol/mg of protein by radio-ligand dextran-coated steroid binding assay
* Postmenopausal, as defined by 1 of the following:

  * Prior bilateral oophorectomy
  * No menses for \>= 12 months in patients with an intact uterus
  * Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in postmenopausal range in patients \< 60 years of age who have had a prior hysterectomy or have been amenorrheic for \>= 3 months
  * Age \>= 60 years
  * Pre- or perimenopausal patients receiving monthly injections of goserelin at a dose of 3.6 mg are eligible
* ECOG 0-2
* More than 3 months
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mm3 Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm3 No bleeding diathesis
* Bilirubin =\< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN AST and ALT =\< 2.5 times ULN
* Systolic blood pressure (BP) \< 150 mm Hg and diastolic BP \< 100 mm Hg on at least one reading prior to study entry No uncontrolled hypertension
* None of the following within the past 6 months:

  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Myocardial infarction
  * Cardiac arrhythmia with hemodynamic compromise
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Able to swallow oral medication
* No known HIV positivity
* No ongoing or active infection
* No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
* No other active invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No other uncontrolled illness
* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
* No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease
* At least 8 weeks since prior anastrozole therapy
* Concurrent steroids allowed if dose is stable
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery
* Recovered from prior therapy
* No prior sorafenib
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation
* Concurrent prophylactic anticoagulation (i.e., low-dose warfarin) for venous or arterial access devices allowed provided PT and PTT are =\< 1.5 times ULN
* No concurrent agents that may interact with sorafenib, including any of the following:

  * Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
  * Rifampin
  * P450 CYP3A4 enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital)
* No other concurrent investigational agents

Exclusion Criteria:

* estrogen receptor status unknown
* history of myocardial infarction within 6 months
* performance status 3
* performance status 4
* premenopausal
* progesterone receptor status unknown
* HIV positive