Sorafenib in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

You may be eligible if

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable melanoma
• * Stage III or IV disease
• Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion \> 20 mm by conventional techniques OR \> 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• Disease amenable to biopsy (first 13 patients in each stratum only)
• Brain metastases allowed provided the following criteria are met:
• * Disease has remained radiologically stable for ≥ 6 weeks after completion of whole-brain radiotherapy and remains stable at the time of study entry
• * No mass effect present by radiology
• * No requirement for steroid therapy to control symptoms of brain metastases
• Performance status - ECOG 0-2
• Performance status - Karnofsky 60-100%
• At least 3 months
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• No evidence of bleeding diathesis
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 2 times ULN
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No psychiatric illness that would preclude study compliance
• No pre-existing non-hematological dysfunction ≥ grade 2
• No ongoing or active infection
• No history of serious allergic reaction to eggs
• Able to swallow pills
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or other non-invasive carcinoma
• No other uncontrolled illness
• Not specified
• No prior systemic chemotherapy for metastatic disease
• See Disease Characteristics
• See Disease Characteristics
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy