Sorafenib in Treating Patients With Recurrent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed aggressive\* non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by excisional-node biopsy or core needle biopsy and bone marrow biopsy, including 1 of the following types:

  * Mantle cell lymphoma
  * Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma
  * Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  * Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (T-cell or null-cell type)
* Recurrent disease
* Patients must have received ≥ 1 induction regimen containing anthracyclines (e.g., CHOP \[with or without rituximab\] or R-EPOCH)
* Chemosensitive disease at the time of relapse

  * Patients who responded with a complete or partial remission that lasted at least 8 weeks after their last chemotherapy regimen are considered chemosensitive
* Measurable disease, defined as a lymph node or a nodal mass of \> 1 cm in its longest transverse diameter on CT scan
* Ineligible for, refused, or relapsed after stem cell transplant (for patients with non-mantle cell lymphoma)
* No known brain metastases, including meningeal involvement
* ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2
* Karnofsky PS 60-100%
* Life expectancy \> 3 months
* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Bilirubin normal
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
* Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* No uncontrolled illness
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to sorafenib
* No known positive HIV serology
* No inflammatory bowel disease
* No swallowing dysfunction that would prevent ingestion of pills
* No hemorrhagic diathesis
* No ongoing or active infection
* No symptomatic congestive heart failure
* No unstable angina pectoris
* No cardiac arrhythmia
* No uncontrolled hypertension
* No psychiatric or social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
* No poorly controlled medical condition that would seriously complicate compliance with this study
* Patients with inflammatory or exfoliative skin disease are excluded (regardless of the extent of the involvement) unless the skin condition is lymphoma related
* See Disease Characteristics
* Previous treatment-related toxic effects should be resolved to grade 1 or better
* No chemotherapy or radiation therapy within the past 4 weeks

  * 6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C
* No prior antibody therapy for at least 3 months
* Prior radiation for localized disease or total body irradiation as part of a conditioning regimen prior to stem cell transplant allowed
* Prior radio-immunotherapy allowed
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation

  * Prophylactic anticoagulation (i.e., low-dose warfarin) of venous or arterial access devices are acceptable provided that the requirements for PT, INR, and PTT are met
* No concurrent use of another investigational agent
* No concurrent use of the following drugs: phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, rifampin, or Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy