Sorafenib and Erlotinib in Treating Patients With Pancreatic Cancer That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Microscopically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma * Unresectable disease * No neuroendocrine tumors or cystadenocarcinoma * Measurable or evaluable disease by RECIST criteria * No known brain metastases * Patients with neurological symptoms must undergo a CT scan/MRI of the brain to exclude brain metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-2 * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN for patients with liver involvement) * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN * INR \< 1.5 or PT/PTT normal unless patients are receiving anticoagulation treatments * Negative pregnancy test * Not pregnant or nursing * Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception before, during, and for at least 6 months after completion of study treatment * Able to swallow whole pills * No patients who currently smoke * No cardiac disease, including any of the following: * NYHA class III-IV congestive heart failure * Unstable angina (anginal symptoms at rest) * New-onset angina (began within the past 3 months) * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * Cardiac ventricular arrhythmias requiring anti-arrhythmic therapy * No uncontrolled hypertension defined as systolic BP \> 150 mm Hg or diastolic BP \> 90 mm Hg despite optimal medical management * No arterial thrombotic or embolic events (e.g., cerebrovascular accident, including transient ischemic attacks) within the past 6 months * No pulmonary hemorrhage/bleeding event ≥ CTCAE grade 2 in the past 4 weeks * No other hemorrhage/bleeding event ≥ CTCAE grade 3 in the past 4 weeks * No significant traumatic injury in the past 4 weeks * No known untreated malabsorption problem (e.g., ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease) * No known HIV positivity or chronic hepatitis B or C * No known or suspected allergy to sorafenib tosylate or erlotinib hydrochloride * No active clinically serious infection \> CTCAE grade 2 * No serious non-healing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture * No evidence or history of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy (except for cancer-related blood clots) * No dermatitis ≥ CTCAE grade 2 at baseline * No patients who currently smoke PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * No prior treatment with antiangiogenics (e.g., bevacizumab, thalidomide, marimastat, interferon alfa, vatalanib, vandetanib, ZD6126, sorafenib, semaxanib, sunitinib, axitinib) * No more than one line of prior therapy for metastatic disease * More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery or open biopsy * No concurrent strong CYP34A inhibitors or inducers * Concurrent warfarin or heparin allowed with the approval of the principal investigator