Sunitinib in Treating Patients With Liver Cancer That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Inclusion criteria: * Histologically, cytologically, or radiologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Localized, surgically unresectable disease * Candidates for radical surgery for locally advanced disease are excluded * Metastatic disease * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 lesion, outside of pretreated areas, that can be measured in ≥ 1 dimension as ≥ 10 mm by spiral or multi-slice CT scan or MRI * Child-Pugh class A or mildly decompensated Child-Pugh class B liver dysfunction Exclusion criteria: * Clinical ascites of any grade * Clinical symptoms or history of CNS metastases or leptomeningeal disease * Known fibrolamellar HCC or mixed cholangiocarcinoma and HCC PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Inclusion criteria: * WHO performance status 0-1 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm³ * Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT ≤ 7 times ULN * Albumin ≥ 2.5 g/dL * Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min * Quick test ≥ 50% (adequate coagulation) * Urine dipstick for proteinuria \< 2+ OR ≤ 1 g of protein in 24-hour urine collection * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 12 months after completion of study therapy Exclusion criteria: * Pregnant or nursing * Encephalopathy * Malignancy within the past 5 years except for adequately treated cervical carcinoma in situ or localized nonmelanoma skin cancer * Hemorrhagic or thrombotic cerebrovascular event in the past 12 months * Documented variceal hemorrhage within the past 3 months * History or presence of clinically significant acute or unstable cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, immunological (except for the presence of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or cirrhosis), endocrine, or central nervous system disorders * Known HIV infection * Active infection requiring IV antibiotics * Arterial hypertension ≥ 150/100 mm Hg, despite therapy * Ongoing cardiac dysrhythmias ≥ grade 2 * Atrial fibrillation of any grade * Prolongation of QTc \> 500 msec in screening ECG or history of familial long QT syndrome * Inability to take oral medications * Psychiatric disorder precluding understanding of information of study-related topics, giving informed consent, or interfering with compliance for oral drug intake PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Inclusion criteria: * At least 4 weeks since prior surgery or liver-directed therapy (e.g., transarterial embolization/chemoembolization \[limited to 5 treatments\], radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, radiotherapy, or percutaneous ethanol injection) * Previously treated lesions must remain separate from those to be measured in the present study * Low-dose anticoagulants for maintenance of patency of central venous access or prevention of deep vein thrombosis allowed Exclusion criteria: * Prior systemic anticancer treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma * Prior organ transplantation * Treatment in a clinical study within the past 30 days * Concurrent full-dose anticoagulant or requirement for anticoagulant therapy * Concurrent experimental drugs or other anticancer therapy * Concurrent use or anticipated need for CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and protease inhibitors) * Concurrent CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., carbamazepine, continuous treatment with dexamethasone \[\> 2 mg/day for \> 7 days\], phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampicin, and St John's wort) * Concurrent antacids allowed provided they are administered \> 1 hour before or \> 1 hour after study drug * Concurrent elective major surgery * Concurrent radiotherapy * Concurrent analgesic radiotherapy of nontarget lesions allowed