Sunitinib Malate in Treating HIV-Positive Patients With Cancer Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy

Inclusion Criteria: * Biopsy-proven solid tumor or hematological malignancy, including: * Metastatic renal cell carcinoma * A solid tumor malignancy, including an NADC or an AIDS-defining malignancy, if the subject has progressed following standard therapy and/or other curative options are not available * A hematologic malignancy, except for blast-phase leukemia, for which effective standard therapy or other curative options are not available * Serologic documentation of HIV infection at any time prior to study entry, as evidenced by positive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), positive western blotting (Western Blot), or other federally approved licensed HIV test, or a detectable blood level of HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA), or a positive anti-HIV antibody test * On stable anti-retroviral therapy for at least 4 weeks with a protease inhibitor (PI)-based or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimen of at least three drugs, with no intention to change the regimen within 8 weeks after starting study drug * Patients who are on NNRTI and ritonavir PI-based therapy are eligible and will be enrolled in the ritonavir PI-based group (Group 3) * Patients who are on NNRTI and non-ritonavir PI-based therapy are eligible and will be enrolled in the non-ritonavir PI-based group (Group 2); NOTE: accrual to Group 2 will be closed upon approval of version 7.0 of the protocol * Patients who are on a highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) combination that includes neither a PI nor a NNRTI agent are eligible and will be enrolled in the NNRTI-based group (Group 1) * CD4 count \> 50 cells/uL * Karnofsky performance status \> 60% * Women of child-bearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 7 days before initiation of study drug dosing; post menopausal women must be amenorrheic for at least 12 months to be considered of non-childbearing potential; male and female subjects of reproductive potential must agree to employ an effective barrier method of birth control throughout the study and for up to 3 months following discontinuation of study drug; (Note: a woman of childbearing potential is one who is biologically capable of becoming pregnant; this includes women who are using contraceptives or whose sexual partners are either sterile or using contraceptives) * Hemoglobin \>= 8.0 gm/dL * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1500 cells/mm\^3 * Platelet count \>= 100,000 /mm\^3 * Creatinine within institutional normal limits or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \> 60 mL/min/m\^2 (calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation), calculated as follows: * For males = (140 - age\[years\]) x (body weight \[kg\])/ (72) x (serum creatinine \[mg/dL\]) * For females = 0.85 x male value * Total bilirubin should be =\< 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN); if, however, the elevated bilirubin is felt to be secondary to indinavir therapy, then subjects will be allowed on protocol if total bilirubin =\< 3.5 mg/dL, provided that the direct bilirubin is =\< 1.5 times ULN; if the elevated bilirubin is felt to be secondary to atazanavir therapy, then subjects will be allowed on protocol without any limit on the total bilirubin if the direct bilirubin is =\< 1.5 times ULN * Aspartate transaminase AST (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) and alanine aminotransferase ALT (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) \< 2.5 times the ULN; unless subjects have liver metastases, in which case both AST and ALT must be =\< 5 times ULN * Life expectancy of 3 months or more * Ability and willingness to give informed consent * Subjects must in the opinion of the Investigator be capable of complying with this protocol Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent active opportunistic infection (OI) * Acute treatment for an infection or other serious medical illness within 14 days prior to study entry * Receipt of antineoplastic therapy, including investigational drug or standard treatment, within 2 weeks of study entry; must be able to demonstrate adequate recovery from prior therapy-related toxicities * Major surgery or radiation within 3 weeks prior to study entry * Concurrent treatment with medications, other than antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection, that are known to inhibit or induce CYP3A4 * Gastrointestinal tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral medication or a requirement for intravenous (IV) alimentation, prior surgical procedures affecting absorption, or active peptic ulcer disease * Clinically significant cardiovascular disease, including uncontrolled hypertension (diastolic blood pressure \>= 100 mmHg despite optimal medical therapy) or unstable angina * A myocardial infarction, severe/unstable angina, coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft, cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack, or pulmonary embolism within 6 months of study entry * Abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction per institutional standards * Ongoing ventricular cardiac dysrhythmias of National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) grade \>= 2 * Subjects with a history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia \[VT\] or ventricular fibrillation \[VF\] \>= 3 beats in a row) * Serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication * QTc interval \> 500 msec * Psychiatric illness that would limit compliance with study requirements * Pre-existing thyroid abnormality that cannot be maintained with medication to keep measures of thyroid stimulating hormone within the normal range * Female subjects who are pregnant or breast-feeding * Another severe and/or life-threatening medical disease