Bevacizumab, Cisplatin, Radiation Therapy, and Fluorouracil in Treating Patients With Stage IIB, Stage III, Stage IVA, or Stage IVB Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically confirmed cancer of the nasopharynx based on biopsy of a primary lesion and/or lymph nodes

  * Histologic WHO types I-IIb/III
* Stage IIB-IVB disease

  * No T1-2, N1 disease in which node positivity is based on the presence of retropharyngeal lymph nodes
* No distant metastases
* Zubrod performance status 0-1
* WBC ? 4,000/mm?
* Hemoglobin ? 9.0 g/dL
* Platelet count ? 100,000/mm?
* Absolute neutrophil count ? 1,500/mm?
* INR ? 1.5
* aPTT ? 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase ? 1.5 times ULN
* ALT and AST ? 1.5 times ULN
* Bilirubin ? 1.5 times ULN
* Creatinine ? 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance ? 55 mL/min
* Urine protein:creatinine (UPC) ratio \< 1.0

  * If UPC \> 0.5, 24-hour urine protein must be \< 1,000 mg
* Hearing loss primarily sensorineural in nature and requiring a hearing aid or intervention that interferes in a clinically significant way with activities of daily living allowed
* Conductive hearing loss from tumor-related otitis media is allowed
* No severe, active comorbidity, including any of the following:

  * Ongoing bleeding diathesis, hemorrhagic disorder, or coagulopathy within the past 6 months
  * Abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 6 months
  * Esophageal varices, nonhealing wound, nonhealing ulcer, or bone fracture within the past 6 months
  * Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within the past 30 days
  * Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure or peripheral vascular disease requiring hospitalization within the past 12 months
  * Major medical or psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the study investigator, would preclude study compliance
  * Active, untreated infection and/or acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics
  * Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects
  * History of significant weight loss (\> 15% from baseline)
  * History of arterial thromboembolic events
  * Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
  * Transmural myocardial infarction
  * Cerebrovascular accident
  * Transient ischemic attack
  * Any other cardiac condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude study compliance
* No gross hemoptysis or hematemesis, defined as bright red blood of ? 1 teaspoon per coughing episode, within the last 4 weeks (incidental blood mixed with phlegm allowed)
* No other invasive malignancy within the past 3 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix
* Nutritional and physical condition considered suitable for study treatment
* No significant traumatic injury within the past 4 weeks
* No history of allergic reaction to the study drugs
* No baseline blood pressure \> 150/100 mm Hg
* No peripheral neuropathy ? grade 2
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative serum pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ? 6 months after completion of study treatment
* At least 10 days since prior and no concurrent dipyridamole, ticlopidine, clopidogrel bisulfate, cilostazol, warfarin, heparin, daily treatment with acetylsalicylic acid (\> 325 mg/day), or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications known to inhibit platelet function
* No prior head and neck surgery of the primary tumor or lymph nodes except for incisional or excisional biopsies

  * More than 15 days since prior biopsies
* More than 1 week since prior fine-needle aspirations or placement of percutaneous gastrostomy tube
* More than 4 weeks since prior major surgical procedures
* No prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields
* No prior bevacizumab or other vascular endothelial growth factor-targeting agents
* No prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer

  * Prior chemotherapy for a different cancer allowed
* No concurrent hematologic growth factors (e.g. filgrastim \[G-CSF\], darbepoetin alfa, epoetin alfa) during study chemoradiotherapy
* No concurrent prophylactic growth factors for neutropenia during study adjuvant therapy
* No concurrent prophylactic amifostine or pilocarpine
* No other concurrent experimental therapeutic cancer treatments