Cediranib Maleate in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck meeting one of the following criteria: * Recurrent disease * Previously treated with standard curative therapy, including surgery and/or radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy * Newly diagnosed metastatic disease * Must be deemed incurable by all of the following: * Salvage surgery * Radiotherapy * Measurable disease ≥ 1 cm by conventional techniques, flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy, or examination under anesthesia * No more than 2 prior conventional or investigational systemic therapies for categorically incurable local-regional or distant disease * No known primary brain tumor or brain metastases * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Life expectancy ≥ 6 months * WBC \> 3,000/mm³ * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count \> 100,000/mm³ * Hemoglobin \> 8 g/dL * Bilirubin normal * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min * Proteinuria ≤ +1 on 2 consecutive urine dipsticks taken ≥ 1 week apart * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * History of nonmelanoma skin cancer or other prior malignancy allowed provided the cancer has been in remission for \> 3 years * No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to AZD2171 * No hypertension (i.e., systolic blood pressure (BP) \> 160 mm Hg and diastolic BP \> 100 mm Hg) * No history of hypertensive urgency, hypertensive emergency, or end-organ damage (i.e., thrombotic stroke, transient ischemic attacks, intracerebral hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, aortic aneurysm, or aortic dissection) * QTc ≤ 500 msec (with Bazett's correction) * No history of familial long QT syndrome * No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Bleeding diathesis * Congestive heart failure, defined as New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV congestive heart failure * NYHA class II congestive heart failure allowed provided there is increased monitoring * Significant ECG abnormality * Peripheral vascular disease * Unstable angina pectoris * Cardiac arrhythmia * Pulmonary edema * Atrioventricular (AV) conduction abnormalities * Sick sinus syndrome * Second- or third-degree AV block * Deep venous thrombosis * No nonhealing ulcers, bone fracture, or wounds * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No traumatic injury within the past 7 days * No known coagulopathy that increases risk of bleeding * No history of clinically significant hemorrhages * See Disease Characteristics * Recovered from all prior therapies * No prior antiangiogenic therapy * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy or antineoplastic regimens for categorically incurable local-regional or distant disease * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy or major surgery * At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) * More than 30 days since prior participation in an investigational trial * No other concurrent investigational agents * No concurrent drugs or biologics with proarrhythmic potential * No concurrent anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin) or antiplatelet agents * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies