Everolimus in Treating Patients WIth Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed breast cancer * Metastatic or recurrent disease * Considered incurable * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques or ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan * Two primary breast cancers allowed * Paraffin-embedded primary or metastatic tumor sample available * No known brain metastases * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Sex * Male or female Menopausal status * Not specified Performance status * ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No active uncontrolled infection * No upper gastrointestinal condition or other condition that would preclude ability to take oral medication * No other serious medical condition that would preclude study participation * No psychiatric illness or neurologic disorder that would preclude study compliance * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or bladder PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Chemotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy * Prior adjuvant chemotherapy allowed * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic or recurrent disease Endocrine therapy * At least 5 days since prior hormonal therapy Radiotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy except for low-dose, limited-fraction, palliative, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy, defined as radiotherapy to \< 20% of functioning bone marrow * If prior radiotherapy was to sole site of disease, must have subsequent documented disease progression at that site Surgery * At least 3 weeks since prior major surgery Other * Concurrent prophylactic bisphosphonates allowed, if started prior to study entry * No concurrent potent inhibitors of cytochrome 3A4, such as erythromycin, diltiazem, or ketoconazole and similar antifungals * No other concurrent anticancer therapy * No other concurrent investigational agents * No concurrent grapefruit juice