Selinexor and Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with relapsed or refractory AML; Cohort A patients must be \< 60 years of age and have failed at least one prior induction regimen for AML; Cohort B patients must be ≥ 60 years of age, unfit for intensive therapy (physician opinion), and have failed an induction regimen for AML. The maximum number of prior lines of induction for both cohorts is 3 * Patients with secondary AML or therapy related disease (t-AML) are eligible * If the patient has co-morbid medical illness, life expectancy attributed to this must be greater than 6 months * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2 * Total bilirubin \< 2.0 mg/dL, except when patient is known to have Gilbert's Syndrome, the total bilirubin can be ≤3.0 mg/dL. * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) \< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal * Creatinine (Cr) clearance \> 50 mL/min by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) calculation * New York Heart Association (NYHA) congestive heart failure (CHF) class II or better * Cardiac ejection fraction \>= 50% * Female patients of child-bearing potential must agree to use dual methods of contraception and have a negative serum pregnancy test at screening, and male patients must use an effective barrier method of contraception if sexually active with a female of child-bearing potential; acceptable methods of contraception are condoms with contraceptive foam, oral, implantable or injectable contraceptives, contraceptive patch, intrauterine device, diaphragm with spermicidal gel, or a sexual partner who is surgically sterilized or post-menopausal; for both male and female patients, effective methods of contraception must be used throughout the study and for three months following the last dose * Ability to understand and willingness to sign the written informed consent document Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 2 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study * Patients receiving any other investigational agents or patients that have received other investigational agents within 14 days of enrollment * Patients with active central nervous system (CNS) malignancy; asymptomatic small lesions are not considered active; treated lesions may be considered inactive if they are stable for at least 3 months; patients with malignant cells in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without CNS symptoms may be included * Major surgery within 2 weeks before day 1 * Uncontrolled active infection; patients with infection requiring parenteral antibiotics are eligible if the infection is controlled * Patients with significantly diseased or obstructed gastrointestinal tract or uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhea * History of seizures, movement disorders or cerebrovascular accident within the past 3 years prior to cycle 1 day 1 * Patients with macular degeneration, uncontrolled glaucoma, or markedly decreased visual acuity * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, symptomatic congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association \[NYHA) class III or IV), unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to enrollment, severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, or electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities; prior to study entry, any electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality at screening has to be documented by the investigator as not medically relevant * Patients with serious medical or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with participation in this clinical study * Pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding are excluded from this study; confirmation that the subject is not pregnant must be established by a negative serum beta (β)-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) pregnancy test result obtained during screening; pregnancy testing is not required for post-menopausal or surgically sterilized women * Patients with advanced malignant solid tumors * Patients whom, in the opinion of the investigators, are significantly below their ideal body weight * Patients who are not able to swallow capsules or tablets