Cilengitide and Sunitinib Malate in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors or Glioblastoma Multiforme

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically confirmed solid tumor or malignant glioblastoma multiforme meeting \>= 1 of the following criteria:

  * Disease refractory to standard therapy
  * No standard therapy exists
  * Sunitinib malate monotherapy would be appropriate management
* Measurable disease is not required
* Previously treated brain metastases or primary brain neoplasms allowed provided patient is not receiving concurrent corticosteroids
* Karnofsky performance status 70-100%
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/μL
* White blood cell count (WBC) \>= 3,000/μL
* Platelet count \>= 100,000/μL
* Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL
* Total bilirubin normal (unless due to documented Gilbert syndrome)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (\< 5 times ULN in the presence of liver metastases)
* Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min
* Serum calcium =\< 12.0 mg/dL
* QTc \< 500 msec
* Patients with any of the following are allowed provided they have New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I-II cardiac function and undergo a baseline echocardiogram (ECHO)/multiple gated acquisition (MUGA):

  * History of class II heart failure and asymptomatic on treatment
  * Prior anthracycline exposure
  * Previously treated with central thoracic radiotherapy that included the heart in the radiotherapy port
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception
* No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to sunitinib malate
* No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness and/or social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
* No pre-existing thyroid abnormality for which thyroid function cannot be maintained in the normal range with medication
* No documented thrombosis (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within the past 6 months
* No known coagulopathy or thrombophilia
* No proven gastric or duodenal ulcer or clinically significant gastrointestinal (GI) blood loss within the past 6 weeks
* No history of central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage
* No life-threatening bleeding diathesis within the past 6 months
* No history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (i.e., ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia \>= 3 beats in a row) or other significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities
* No poorly controlled hypertension (i.e., systolic blood pressure (BP) \>= 150 mm Hg or diastolic BP \>= 100 mm Hg)
* No condition that would impair the ability to swallow and retain sunitinib malate tablets, including any of the following:

  * GI tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral medications or a requirement for IV alimentation
  * Prior surgical procedures affecting absorption
  * Active peptic ulcer disease
* No gastrostomy, jejunostomy, or other forms of enteral tube feeding modalities
* None of the following conditions:

  * Serious or non-healing wound or ulcer
  * Abdominal fistula, GI perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 28 days
  * Cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack within the past 12 months
  * Myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia, stable/unstable angina, symptomatic congestive heart failure, or coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft or stenting within the past 12 months
  * NYHA class III or IV heart failure
  * Radiographically or physiologically diagnosed usual interstitial pneumonitis (UIP) or non-specific interstitial pneumonitis (NSIP)
* No bone fracture within the past 12 months
* No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy or systemic antineoplastic therapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas, mitomycin C, or bevacizumab) and recovered
* More than 2 weeks since prior hormone replacement therapy or hormonal contraceptives
* More than 1 month since prior surgery
* At least 7 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors
* At least 12 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inducers
* Prior luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists for hormone-refractory prostate cancer allowed
* Prior antiangiogenic agents (e.g., sorafenib, pazopanib, AZD2171 \[cediranib maleate\], PTK787 \[vatalanib\], or VEGF Trap \[ziv-aflibercept\]) allowed provided there is no disease progression
* No prior cilengitide or sunitinib malate
* No prior bevacizumab
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients
* No concurrent agents with proarrhythmic potential (e.g., terfenadine, quinidine, procainamide, disopyramide, sotalol, probucol, bepridil, haloperidol, risperidone, indapamide, or flecainide)
* No concurrent palliative radiotherapy
* No other concurrent chemotherapy or biologic agents
* No concurrent medications that may cause QTc prolongation
* No concurrent therapeutic doses of coumarin-derivative anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin)

  * Up to 2 mg of daily warfarin for the prophylaxis of thrombosis allowed
  * Low-molecular weight heparin allowed provided prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) =\< 1.5
* No concurrent grapefruit juice