S1313, PEGPH20 in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

* Patients must have newly diagnosed, untreated metastatic histologically or cytologically documented pancreatic adenocarcinoma; patients must not have known history of brain metastases
* Patients must have measurable metastatic disease; computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)s used to assess measurable disease must have been completed within 28 days prior to registration; CT scans or MRIs used to assess non-measurable disease must have been completed within 42 days prior to registration; CT scans or MRIs must be assessed and documented on the Baseline Tumor Assessment Form (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors \[RECIST\] 1.1)
* Patients must not have had any prior treatment with oxaliplatin or irinotecan within 3 years prior to registration; patients must not have had prior chemotherapy in metastatic setting; prior abdominal radiation therapy is not allowed
* Patients must have a Zubrod performance status of 0-1
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/mcL
* Platelets \>= 100,000/mcL
* Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL
* Total bilirubin =\< institutional upper limit of normal (IULN)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) both =\< 2.5 X IULN in the absence of liver metastases or =\< 5.0 x IULN with liver metastasis
* Serum albumin \>= 3 g/dL
* Serum creatinine =\< ULN within 14 days prior to registration OR calculated creatinine clearance \> 50 ml/min; the serum creatinine value used in the calculation must have been obtained within 14 days prior to registration
* Patients must have international normalized ratio (INR) =\< 1.2 within 14 days prior to registration; patients must not be receiving warfarin for therapeutic use, have history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), history of transient ischemic attack (TIA) requiring intervention or treatment, pre-existing carotid artery disease requiring intervention or treatment, or current use of megestrol acetate (use within 10 days of registration)
* Patients must not be receiving chronic treatment (equivalent of prednisone \> 10 mg/day) with systemic steroids or other immuno-suppressive agent
* Patients must not have liver disease such a cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis or chronic persistent hepatitis
* Patients must not have active bleeding or a pathological condition that is associated with a high risk of bleeding
* Patients with a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) must not be on active treatment for HIV
* Patients must have no non-malignant medical illnesses that are uncontrolled or whose control may be jeopardized by the treatment with protocol therapy
* No other prior malignancy is allowed except for the following: adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, adequately treated stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission, or any other cancer from which the patient has been disease free for five years
* Patients must not be pregnant or nursing; women/men of reproductive potential must have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method; a woman is considered to be of "reproductive potential" if she has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months; in addition to routine contraceptive methods, "effective contraception" also includes heterosexual celibacy and surgery intended to prevent pregnancy (or with a side-effect of pregnancy prevention) defined as a hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy or bilateral tubal ligation; if at any point a previously celibate patient chooses to become heterosexually active during the time period for use of contraceptive measures outlined in the protocol, he/she is responsible for beginning contraceptive measures
* Patients must have tumor (paraffin block or slides) available for submission and be willing to submit tumor and blood samples
* Patients or their legally authorized representative must be informed of the investigational nature of this study and must sign and give written informed consent in accordance with institutional and federal guidelines
* As a part of the Oncology Patient Enrollment Network (OPEN) registration process the treating institution's identity is provided in order to ensure that the current (within 365 days) date of institutional review board approval for this study has been entered in the system
* Patients planning to enroll in the phase I portion of this study must first have a slot reserved in advance of the registration; all site staff will use OPEN to create a slot reservation