RO4929097 in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB, Stage IIIC, or Stage IV Melanoma That Can Be Removed by Surgery

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed melanoma * Stage IIIB, IIIC, or IV disease * Disease that is deemed resectable by surgical consultation * Patients must agree to pretreatment biopsies of their tumor * Measurable disease defined as ≥ 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in ≥ 1 dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR as ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan * Measurable lesions must be deemed resectable * Skin metastases must be photographed and measured * No non-target disease * No known brain metastases * Life expectancy \> 3 months * ECOG performance status 0-2 (Karnofsky 60-100%) * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³ * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm³ * Hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min * Fertile patients must agree to use 2 forms of contraception (i.e., barrier contraception and 1 other method of contraception) for ≥ 4 weeks prior to, during, and for ≥ 12 months post-treatment * Negative pregnancy test * Not pregnant or nursing * No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition of gamma-secretase inhibitor RO4929097 or other agents used in the study * No malabsorption syndrome or other condition that would interfere with intestinal absorption * Able to swallow tablets * No known history of hepatitis or have a history of liver disease or other forms of cirrhosis * No uncontrolled hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hyponatremia, hypophosphatemia, or hypokalemia despite adequate electrolyte supplementation * No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Ongoing or active infection * Symptomatic congestive heart failure * Unstable angina pectoris * Cardiac arrhythmia other than chronic * Unstable atrial fibrillation * Psychiatric illness and/or social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * No baseline QTcF \> 450 msec (male) or QTcF \> 470 msec (female) * No history of cancer within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal or squamous cell cancer of the skin, in situ cervical cancer, or lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast * No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies * More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy or local radiotherapy and recovered * No prior chemotherapy for melanoma * No concurrent medications with narrow therapeutic indices that are metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP450), including warfarin sodium (Coumadin®) * No concurrent medications that are strong inducers/inhibitors or substrates of CYP3A4 * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No concurrent ketoconazole or grapefruit juice while taking gamma-secretase inhibitor RO4929097 * No concurrent granulocyte colony-stimulating factors * No other concurrent investigational agents