Capecitabine and Vorinostat in Treating Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed SCCHN or NPC that is recurrent and/or metastatic and that is not amendable to curative therapy by surgery or radiation; SCCHN originating from the following sites are eligible: oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx and paranasal sinus are eligible; for patients with a diagnosis of SCCHN of unknown origin, their eligibility must be reviewed and approved by the principal investigator
• •Patients must have measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as \> 20 mm with conventional techniques or as \> 10 mm with spiral computed tomography (CT) scan; indicator lesions must not have been previously treated with surgery, radiation therapy or radiofrequency ablation unless there is documented progression after therapy
• •Patients must have completed any previous surgery or radiotherapy \>= 4 weeks prior to enrollment
• •Previously treated patients must have evidence of progressive disease, either clinically or radiographically, as assessed by the investigator
• •Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status \< 2 (Karnofsky \> 60%)
• •Life expectancy of greater than 12 weeks
• •Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1.5 x 10\^9/L
• •Platelets \>= 100 x 10\^9/L
• •Total bilirubin =\< 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• •Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 3 x ULN or =\< 5 x ULN with documented liver metastases
• •Creatinine =\< 1.25 x ULN OR creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above 1.25 x ULN
• •12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) with normal tracing, or non-clinically significant changes that do not require medical intervention; corrected QT (QTc) interval \< 470 msec, and without history of Torsades de Pointes or other symptomatic QTc abnormality
• •Eligibility of patients receiving any medications or substances known to affect or with the potential to affect the activity of vorinostat will be determined following review of their case by the principal investigator
• •Women of childbearing potential and men must be surgically sterilized, practicing abstinence, or agree to use 2 birth control methods prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; the 2 birth control methods can be either be 2 barrier methods or a barrier method plus a hormonal method to prevent pregnancy; the following are considered adequate barrier methods of contraception: diaphragm or sponge, and condom; other methods of contraception such as copper intrauterine device or spermicide may be used; appropriate hormonal contraceptives will include any registered and marketed contraceptive agent that contains an estrogen and/or a progestational agent (including oral, subcutaneous, intrauterine, or intramuscular agents); should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
• •Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
• •Patients must be willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests and other study procedures
• •Willingness to discontinue taking any medications that are generally accepted to have a risk causing Torsades de Pointes during the study