Ceritinib and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors or Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Arm 1: histologically or cytologically confirmed solid tumors that are advanced that gemcitabine-based treatment is considered a clinically appropriate option * Arm 2: histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas that is locally advanced or metastatic * Arm 3: histologically or cytologically confirmed solid tumors that are advanced that gemcitabine plus cisplatin treatment is considered a clinically appropriate option * Arms 1E, 2E and 3E: solid tumor that demonstrate anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positivity; ALK positivity can be assessed using the assays below, and documentation of ALK positivity using one of the tests below is required * Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test for ALK positivity using the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved FISH test (Abbott Molecular Inc), using Vysis breakapart probes (defined as 15% or more positive tumor cells); OR * Harboring a confirmed ALK positivity, as determined by positivity to the Ventana immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay * Arms 1E: previously treated with and progressed on gemcitabine-containing therapy * Arms 1, 2, 3: patients should have clinically measurable or evaluable malignant disease * Arms 1E, 2E, 3E: patients with at least one measurable site of disease as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria version 1.1 that have not been previously irradiated * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 1 * Life expectancy \>= 3 months * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500 cells/mm\^3 (system international \[SI\] units 1.5 x 10\^9/L) * Platelets \>= 100,000 cells/mm\^3 (SI units 100 x 10\^9/L) * Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL (SI units 90 g/L) (in the absence of transfusion within 24 hours prior to dosing) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) =\< 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN); in patients with known hepatic involvement, AST and ALT =\< 5 x ULN are allowed * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x ULN * Calculated or measured creatinine clearance (CrCL) \>= 60 mL/min using modified Cockcroft and Gault formula * Serum lipase =\< 2 x ULN * Serum amylase =\< 2 x ULN * International normalized ratio (INR) =\< 1.5; (anticoagulation is allowed if target INR =\< 1.5 on a stable dose of warfarin or on a stable dose of low molecular weight \[LMW\] heparin for \> 2 weeks at the first dose of study agent) * If urinalysis shows proteinuria, 24 hour urine collection is to be performed and the 24 hour urine protein is to be \< 2 grams to be eligible * Willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan and laboratory tests * Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent; a signed informed consent must be obtained prior to any study specific procedures * Patient must consent to the use of their archival tumor tissue for protocol use if available Exclusion Criteria: * Arms 2, 2E, 3, 3E: patients who previously received \> 2 lines of systemic chemotherapy for advanced or metastatic disease * Previous pelvic radiation affecting \>= 25% of the bone marrow; patients who received whole pelvic radiation are excluded * Patients who have received the last administration of an anti-cancer therapy including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy and monoclonal antibodies (but excluding nitrosourea, mitomycin-C, targeted therapy and radiation) =\< 4 weeks prior to starting study drug * Patients who have received the last administration of nitrosourea or mitomycin-C =\< 6 weeks prior to starting study drug * Patients who have had radiotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to starting study drug, or =\< 2 weeks prior to starting study drug in the case of localized radiotherapy (e.g., for analgesic purpose or for lytic lesions at risk of fracture) * Patients who have received targeted therapy (e.g., sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib), except ALK inhibitors, =\< 2 weeks prior to starting study drug * Patients who have residual toxicity(-ities) from previous anti-cancer treatment(s) that is/are clinically significant or \> grade 1 are excluded; those whose toxicity(-ities) improved to grade 1 or better will be eligible * The patient is less than 5 half-lives from prior ALK inhibitor or targeted therapy (for adequate wash-out) without recovery from treatment toxicities to \< grade 1 or to their pre-treatment levels * Patients with known history of extensive disseminated bilateral interstitial fibrosis or interstitial lung disease, including a history of pneumonitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, interstitial pneumonia, obliterative bronchiolitis, and clinically significant radiation pneumonitis (i.e., affecting activities of daily living or requiring therapeutic intervention) * Patients who have undergone major surgery (e.g. intra-thoracic, intra-abdominal or intra-pelvic), open biopsy or significant traumatic injury =\< 4 weeks prior to starting study drug, or patients who have had minor procedures, percutaneous biopsies or placement of vascular access device =\< 1 week prior to starting study drug, or who have not recovered from side effects of such procedure or injury * Known hypersensitivity or infusion reaction to cisplatin and gemcitabine * Patients with known hypersensitivity to any of the excipients of ceritinib (microcrystalline cellulose, mannitol, crospovidone, colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate) * Receiving medications that meet one of the following criteria and that cannot be discontinued at least 1 week prior to the start of treatment with ceritinib and for the duration of participation: * Medication with a known risk of prolonging the QT interval or inducing torsades de pointes * Strong inhibitors or strong inducers of cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A, polypeptide 4 (CYP3A4)/5 * Medications with a low therapeutic index that are primarily metabolized by CYP3A4/5, cytochrome P450, family 2, subfamily C, polypeptide 8 (CYP2C8) and/or cytochrome P450, family 2, subfamily C, polypeptide 9 (CYP2C9) * Therapeutic doses (defined as doses need to achieve target INR \> 1.5) of warfarin sodium (Coumadin) or any other Coumadin-derived anti-coagulant; anticoagulants not derived from warfarin are allowed (e.g., dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban) * Unstable or increasing doses of corticosteroids * Enzyme-inducing anticonvulsive agents * Herbal supplements * Any of the following concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions which could compromise participation in the study; impaired cardiac function or clinically significant cardiac diseases, including any of the following: * Unstable angina within 6 months prior to screening * Myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to screening * History of documented congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association functional classification III - IV) * Uncontrolled hypertension defined by a systolic blood pressure (SBP) \>= 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \>= 100 mm Hg, with or without antihypertensive medication * Initiation or adjustment of antihypertensive medication(s) is allowed prior to screening * Ventricular arrhythmias; supraventricular and nodal arrhythmias not controlled with medication * Other cardiac arrhythmia not controlled with medication * Corrected QT (QTc) \> 450 msec using Fridericia correction on the screening electrocardiogram (ECG) * Any active gastrointestinal (GI) impairment which, in the opinion of the investigator, would impair or alter the absorption of ceritinib (e.g., ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease) * Ongoing GI adverse events \> grade 2 (e.g., nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea) at the start of the study * History of alcoholism, drug addiction, or any psychiatric or psychological condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would impair study compliance * Other concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled concomitant medical conditions (e.g., active or uncontrolled infection) that could cause unacceptable safety risks or compromise compliance with the protocol * Pregnant or breast-feeding women * Women of child-bearing potential, defined as sexually mature women who have not undergone a hysterectomy or who have not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (e.g., who has had menses any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months), must have a negative serum pregnancy test =\< 3 days prior to starting study treatment * Women of child-bearing potential, who are biologically able to conceive, not employing 2 forms of highly effective contraception; male not using at least at least one form of highly effective contraception will be excluded; highly effective contraception (e.g. male condom with spermicide, diaphragm with spermicide, intra-uterine device) must be used by both sexes during the study and must be continued for 3 months after the end of study treatment; oral, implantable, or injectable contraceptives may be affected by cytochrome P450 interactions, and are therefore not considered effective for this study * Patients with untreated brain metastases or who have signs/symptoms attributable to brain metastases and have not been assessed with radiologic imaging to rule out the presence of brain metastases; patients with brain metastases that have been definitively treated and on stable or decreasing dose of steroid within 4 weeks of starting study treatment will be eligible