Selinexor With Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Inclusion Criteria: * Signed, written informed consent in accordance with federal, local, and institutional guidelines * Patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory AML, except acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), requiring intensive induction chemotherapy * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of =\< 2 * Creatinine clearance \> 30 cc/min calculated using the Cockcroft and Gault (1976) formula or measured * Total bilirubin =\< 2 mg/dl unless high indirect bilirubin is due to a congenital disorder * Transaminases (aspartate aminotransferase \[AST\] or alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) =\< 3.0 x upper limit of normal (ULN) unless due to leukemia infiltration * Prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) =\< 2 x ULN * Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plans, laboratory tests and other study procedures * It is important patients understand the need to use birth control while on this study; female patients of child-bearing potential must agree to use dual methods of contraception and have a negative serum pregnancy test at screening (\< 3 days prior to first dose), male patients with partners of childbearing potential must agree to use effective contraception during the study period and a period of 3 months after the last dose of study drug; for both male and female patients, effective methods of contraception must be used throughout the study and for three months following the last dose Exclusion Criteria: * Treatment with any investigational agent within two weeks prior to first dose in this study; hydroxyurea is allowed to control the AML prior to treatment on the study * AML central nervous system (CNS) involvement * Major surgery within 2 weeks of first dose of study drug; patients must have recovered from the effects of any surgery performed greater than 2 weeks previously * Patient has a concurrent advantage active malignancy under treatment * Unstable cardiovascular function: * Symptomatic ischemia, or * Uncontrolled clinically significant conduction abnormalities (i.e., ventricular tachycardia on antiarrhythmic agents are excluded; 1st degree atrioventricular \[AV\] block or asymptomatic left anterior fascicular block/right bundle branch block \[left anterior fascicular block (LAFB)/right bundle branch block (RBBB)\] will not be excluded), or * Congestive heart failure (CHF) New York Heart Association (NYHA) class \>= 3, or * Myocardial infarction (MI) within 3 months * Uncontrolled infection requiring parenteral antibiotics, antivirals, or antifungals within one week prior to first dose; infections controlled on concurrent anti-microbial agents are acceptable, and anti-microbial prophylaxis per institutional guidelines is acceptable * Known active hepatitis B virus (HBV) or C virus (HCV) infection; or known to be positive for HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) or HBsAg (HBV surface antigen) * Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection * Any medical condition which, in the investigator's opinion, could compromise the patient's safety * Patients unable to swallow tablets or patients with malabsorption syndrome, or any other disease significantly affecting gastrointestinal function * Seizure or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in the last year