AZD2171 and Standard Combination Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer or Colorectal Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following: * Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Stage IIIB disease * No pleural effusion and not a candidate for a combined modality treatment * Stage IV disease * Local or metastatic failure after surgery and/or radiotherapy * Colorectal cancer (CRC) * Advanced and/or metastatic disease * Suitable for first-line therapy with oxaliplatin, leucovorin calcium, and fluorouracil (FOLFOX-6) * Clinically or radiologically documented disease * No tumor marker elevation as sole evidence of disease * No necrotic/hemorrhagic metastases or tumor * No untreated brain or meningeal metastases * Previously treated, radiologic or clinical evidence of stable brain metastases allowed provided disease is asymptomatic and corticosteroids are not required PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Hemoglobin normal * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN * AST or ALT ≤ 2 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver involvement) * Proteinuria ≤ grade 1 * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No history of other malignancies except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or other solid tumors curatively treated with no evidence of disease for ≥ 5 years * No untreated and/or uncontrolled cardiovascular conditions or symptomatic cardiac dysfunction * No resting blood pressure (BP) consistently higher than systolic BP \> 150 mm Hg and diastolic BP \> 100 mm Hg (in the presence or absence of a stable dose of antihypertensive medication) * No poorly controlled hypertension, history of labile hypertension, or poor compliance with antihypertensive medication * No overt bleeding (≥ 30 mL bleeding/episode) within the past 3 months * No clinically relevant hemoptysis (≥ 5 mL fresh blood) within the past 4 weeks * Flecks of blood in sputum allowed * No active or uncontrolled infections * No serious illnesses or medical conditions that would preclude compliance with study requirements * No mean QTc with Bazett's correction \> 470 msec * No history of familial long QT syndrome * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 * No dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency or history of severe hand-foot syndrome after fluoropyrimidines (for patients with CRC) PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * Recovered from prior therapy * At least 6 months since prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy * At least 6 months since prior adjuvant radiotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas and mitomycin C) (for patients with NSCLC) * At least 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent corticosteroids * At least 3 weeks since prior palliative radiotherapy and recovered * Concurrent palliative radiotherapy allowed * At least 2 weeks since prior epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor therapy * At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery * No more than 1 prior single-agent, nonplatinum-containing chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease (for patients with NSCLC) * No prior gemcitabine hydrochloride (for patients with NSCLC) * No prior oxaliplatin (for patients with CRC) * No prior angiogenesis inhibitor * No prior chemotherapy for advanced/metastatic disease (for patients with CRC) * No other concurrent experimental drugs or anticancer therapy