Ixabepilone in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Persistent Leiomyosarcoma of the Uterus Previously Treated With Chemotherapy

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the response rate (complete and partial responses by RECIST 1.1) of ixabepilone in patients with recurrent or persistent leiomyosarcoma of the uterus who have failed one previous chemotherapy regimen. II. To determine the nature and degree of toxicity of ixabepilone as assessed by NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4 in this cohort of patients. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the duration of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). II. To determine the level of beta-III tubulin expression measured by IHC in women with leiomyosarcoma. III. To determine if beta-III tubulin expression as measured by IHC predicts response to ixabepilone in women with leiomyosarcoma. OUTLINE: Patients receive ixabepilone intravenously (IV) over 3 hours on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 3 years.