S0716 Vandetanib and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced solid tumor, including, but not limited to the following:

  * Non-small cell lung cancer
  * Metastatic breast cancer
  * Hormone-refractory prostate cancer
  * Locally recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (including thyroid origin)
* Disease for which no standard therapy exists
* Tumor amenable to biopsy
* Measurable or non-measurable disease
* Brain metastases allowed provided patient has undergone brain irradiation (whole brain or gamma knife) AND the metastases have been clinically and radiologically stable for ≥ 6 weeks after completion of irradiation

  * Patients requiring corticosteroids or anticonvulsants for brain metastases must be on a stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroids and seizure free for ≥ 28 days before study enrollment

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Zubrod performance status 0-1
* ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* SGOT or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* PT/INR ≤ 1.1 times normal
* Serum creatinine ≤ 1.8 times ULN OR measured or estimated creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/min
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after completion of study treatment
* Willing to undergo two tumor biopsies and blood and tissue sample submission for correlative laboratory studies
* No clinically significant cardiovascular event, including any of the following:

  * Myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident within the past 3 months
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * NYHA class II-IV heart disease within the past 3 months
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Serious cardiac arrhythmia
* No history of cardiac disease that, in the investigator's opinion, increases the risk of ventricular arrhythmia
* No history of arrhythmia that is symptomatic or requires treatment (CTCAE grade 3), including any of the following:

  * Multifocal premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)
  * Bigeminy or trigeminy
  * Ventricular tachycardia
  * Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation

    * Medically controlled atrial fibrillation allowed
* No asymptomatic sustained ventricular tachycardia
* No history of or evidence of any of the following on ECG:

  * History of QTc prolongation as a result from other medication that required discontinuation of that medication
  * Congenital long QT syndrome
  * First degree relative with unexplained sudden death under 40 years of age
  * Presence of left bundle branch block
  * QTc with Bazett's correction that is unmeasurable or ≥ 480 msec on screening ECG
* No uncontrolled hypertension, defined as consistent systolic BP \> 160 mm Hg or consistent diastolic BP \> 100 mm Hg despite medical management
* No intractable nausea or vomiting
* No concurrent active diarrhea that may affect the ability to absorb or tolerate vandetanib
* No gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease resulting in malabsorption syndrome or a requirement for IV alimentation
* No uncontrolled inflammatory GI disease (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to docetaxel or compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to vandetanib, including other quinazoline compounds (e.g., gefitinib or erlotinib)
* No history of deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism requiring therapeutic anticoagulation
* No known HIV positivity
* No other concurrent uncontrolled illness, including, but not limited to the following:

  * Ongoing or serious active infection
  * Psychiatric illness or social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
* Prior or concurrent malignancies of other histologies within the past 5 years allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from prior therapy (i.e., ≤ grade 2 alopecia and ≤ grade 1 toxicity from all other adverse events)
* Prior docetaxel as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents allowed provided there is potential clinical benefit present, in the investigator's opinion, from the combination of docetaxel and vandetanib
* No prior vandetanib
* No prior surgical procedures affecting absorption
* More than 14 days since prior drugs with a short half-life (e.g., sorafenib or sunitinib) (approval by study coordinator required)
* More than 28 days since prior major surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy
* More than 28 days since prior investigational agents
* More than 2 weeks since prior and no concurrent medications associated with a risk of causing Torsades de Pointes
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation (coumadin, warfarin, or low-molecular weight heparin)

  * Low-dose anticoagulation for indwelling catheter maintenance allowed
* No concurrent medication that may cause QTc prolongation
* No other concurrent chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or any other type of therapy for the treatment of cancer, except for the following:

  * Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists
  * Bisphosphonates