DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed cholangiocarcinoma or gallbladder carcinoma

  • Histologic confirmation of adenocarcinoma of a metastatic site with clinical documentation of gallbladder or bile duct involvement allowed provided there is no evidence of another primary

    • Clinical and/or radiographical findings consistent with cholangiocarcinoma plus histologic findings from metastatic site allowed if clinical documentation of gallbladder or bile duct involvement is not possible due to removal of the organ

• Patients must have 1 of the following histologic types:

  • Papillary carcinoma
  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Intestinal type
  • Clear cell adenocarcinoma
  • Mucinous adenocarcinoma
  • Signet ring cell carcinoma
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Adenosquamous carcinoma
  • Small cell carcinoma
  • Undifferentiated carcinoma
  • Adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified
  • Carcinoma not otherwise specified
• Locally advanced or distant metastatic disease not surgically curable
• Measurable disease
• Decompression of the biliary tree by ERCP and stenting or percutaneous drainage required if any biliary obstruction
• No carcinoid tumors or sarcomas
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• Not specified

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3
• No evidence of bleeding diathesis

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• PT, INR, and PTT normal

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• None of the following significant uncontrolled cardiac diseases:

  • Congestive heart failure
  • Symptomatic coronary artery disease
  • Cardiac arrhythmias
• No myocardial infarction within the past 12 months
• No uncontrolled hypertension

Gastrointestinal

• Able to swallow and/or receive enteral medications by gastrostomy feeding tube
• No malabsorption syndrome
• No intractable nausea or vomiting

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV-positive patients allowed provided CD4 count > 500/mm^3 AND patient has no active opportunistic infection and are not receiving combination antiretroviral therapy
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer currently in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No prior sorafenib or any vascular endothelial growth factor receptor or MAPK pathway inhibitor
• Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant immunotherapy allowed provided it was completed ≥ 12 months before documented disease recurrence or metastasis
• No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy

• Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy allowed provided it was completed ≥ 12 months before documented disease recurrence or metastasis
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy allowed provided it was completed ≥ 12 months before documented disease recurrence or metastasis
• No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

• At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Prior radiotherapy to < 25% of bone marrow or metastatic sites allowed provided there are other not treated measurable lesions AND therapy was completed ≥ 12 months before documented disease recurrence or metastasis
• No concurrent radiotherapy except palliative radiotherapy to metastatic non-target lesions

Surgery

• At least 14 days since prior surgery and recovered

Other

• No prior therapy for unresectable or metastatic disease
• No concurrent cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, and phenobarbital), rifampin, or Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
• No other concurrent therapy for cancer
• No concurrent combination anti-retroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients

• No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation

  • Concurrent prophylactic anticoagulation of venous or arterial access devices allowed