Bevacizumab and Erlotinib in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell cancer of the head and neck * Recurrent or metastatic disease * Determined to be incurable by surgery or radiotherapy * Measurable disease * No tumor involvement encasing or too close in proximity to a major artery or vein * No known brain metastases * No prior or concurrent CNS disease * No primary brain tumor * Performance status - ECOG 0-2 * Performance status - Karnofsky 60-100% * More than 12 weeks * No history of bleeding diathesis * WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3 * INR less than 1.5 * Bilirubin normal * AST and ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine normal * Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min * No significant renal impairment * 24-hour urinary protein less than 0.5 g required if more than trace proteinuria at baseline * No uncontrolled hypertension * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication * No deep venous thrombosis * No prior stroke * No New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease * No grade II-IV peripheral vascular disease within the past year * No arterial thromboembolic event within the past 6 months, including any of the following: * Unstable angina pectoris * Myocardial infarction * Transient ischemic attack * Cerebrovascular accident * No clinically significant peripheral artery disease * No significant ophthalmologic abnormalities\* including any of the following: * Severe dry eye syndrome * Keratoconjunctivitis sicca * Sjögren's syndrome * Severe exposure keratopathy * Disorders that might increase the risk for epithelium-related complications (e.g., bullous keratopathy, aniridia, severe chemical burns, neutrophilic keratitis) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No prior allergic reactions to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to bevacizumab or other study agents * No known hypersensitivity to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human antibodies * No significant traumatic injury within the past 28 days * No other concurrent uncontrolled illness * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No ongoing or active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics * No serious non-healing wound ulcer or bone fracture * No seizures not controlled by standard medical therapy * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery * More than 4 weeks since prior open biopsy * Recovered from prior therapy * No more than 1 prior regimen for recurrent disease * No prior epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-based therapy for recurrent disease * No prior vascular EGFR-based therapy for recurrent disease * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No concurrent chronic use of aspirin (325 mg/day or more) or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs * No concurrent warfarin or heparin, including low-molecular weight heparin * No other concurrent or recent (within 1 month) thrombolytic agents or full-dose anticoagulants (except to maintain patency of preexisting, permanent indwelling IV catheters)