DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed pancreatic adenocarcinoma

  • Metastatic disease

• Must have evidence of disease progression after receiving 1 of the following prior first-line therapies:

  • One gemcitabine-containing treatment regimen for metastatic disease or a gemcitabine-containing cytotoxic combination

  • One gemcitabine-containing chemoradiotherapy regimen for inoperable locally advanced pancreatic cancer

    • Patients must have subsequently progressed and have measurable disease outside a radiation port

  • One adjuvant chemotherapy regimen or chemoradiotherapy containing gemcitabine

    • Patients must have subsequently progressed within 3 months of completion of adjuvant therapy and have measurable disease outside the radiation port
• Measurable disease*, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan NOTE: *The primary pancreatic tumor does not constitute measurable disease; therefore, patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer as the sole site of disease are not eligible
• No brain metastases
• No evidence of duodenal invasion on CT scan

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• Bilirubin < 1.5 mg/dL
• AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
• PT and PTT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• History of hypothyroidism allowed provided patient is currently euthyroid
• No QTc prolongation (i.e., QTc interval ≥ 500 msec) or other significant EKG abnormalities
• No New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV heart failure within the past 12 months
• No history of hypertension (i.e., blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg) unless well controlled and on antihypertensive therapy

• No cardiac disease within the past 12 months, including any of the following:

  • Myocardial infarction
  • Cardiac arrhythmia
  • Stable or unstable angina
  • Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • Coronary or peripheral artery bypass graft or stenting
• No cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack within the past 12 months
• No pulmonary embolism within the past 6 months
• No serious nonhealing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture

• No history of any of the following diseases within the past 6 months:

  • Significant bleeding events (e.g., upper or lower gastrointestinal [GI] bleeding, hemoptysis, or hematuria)
  • Abdominal fistula
  • GI perforation
• No intra-abdominal abscess within the past 28 days

• No currently active second malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer

  • Patients are not considered to have a "currently active" malignancy if they have completed therapy and are considered to be at less than 30% risk of relapse

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior erlotinib hydrochloride allowed

• No prior therapy with any other antiangiogenic agent, including any of the following:

  • Bevacizumab
  • Sorafenib
  • Pazopanib
  • AZD2171
  • Vatalanib
  • VEGF Trap
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and recovered
• At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered

• More than 7 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inhibitors, including any of the following:

  • Azole antifungals (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole)
  • Diltiazem
  • Clarithromycin
  • Erythromycin
  • Verapamil
  • Delavirdine
  • HIV protease inhibitors (e.g., indinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, atazanavir, nelfinavir)

• More than 12 days since prior and no concurrent CYP3A4 inducers, including any of the following:

  • Rifampin
  • Rifabutin
  • Carbamazepine
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
  • Efavirenz
  • Tipranavir

• No concurrent agents with proarrhythmic potential, including any of the following:

  • Quinidine
  • Procainamide
  • Disopyramide
  • Sotalol
  • Probucol
  • Bepridil
  • Haloperidol
  • Risperidone
  • Indapamide
  • Flecainide

• No concurrent therapeutic doses of warfarin-derived anticoagulants

  • Warfarin at doses ≤ 2 mg/day for prophylaxis of thrombosis or low molecular weight heparin for patients with a PT/INR < 1.5 allowed