Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed esophageal or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma that is
not amenable to curative surgery or other curative therapy

- Advanced, relapsed or refractory disease

- Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in
at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥ 20 mm by conventional
techniques or as ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

- No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-1

- Life expectancy > 12 weeks

- WBC ≥ 3,000/μL

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/μL

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL

- Serum calcium ≤ 12.0 mg/dL

- Total bilirubin normal

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal

- Creatinine normal OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception prior to, during, and for 28 days
after completion of study treatment

- No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or
biologic composition to sunitinib malate

- No ongoing cardiac dysrhythmias ≥ grade 2, atrial fibrillation of any grade, or
prolongation of the QTc interval to > 450 msec (for males) or > 470 msec (for
females)

- No hypertension that cannot be controlled by medications (i.e., systolic/diastolic
blood pressure > 150/100 mm Hg despite optimal medical therapy)

- No myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia, stable/unstable angina, symptomatic
congestive heart failure, or coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft or stenting
within the past 12 months

- No cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack within the past 12 months

- No pulmonary embolism within the past 12 months

- No condition that would impair the ability to swallow and retain sunitinib malate
tablets (e.g., gastrointestinal tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral
medication or a requirement for IV alimentation, prior surgical procedures affecting
absorption, or active peptic ulcer disease)

- No abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within
the past 28 days

- No serious or nonhealing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture

- No pre-existing thyroid abnormality that cannot be maintained in the normal range
with medication

- No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active
infection or psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with
study requirements

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- Recovered from prior therapy

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy or major surgery

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C, carmustine, or
alkylating agents)

- No more than 6 prior courses of an alkylating agent

- No more than 450 mg/m² of prior doxorubicin hydrochloride or 900 mg/m² of prior
epirubicin hydrochloride

- No more than 2 lines of prior therapy in the metastatic setting

- No prior anti-VEGF monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab or aflibercept

- No prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors with similar targets (e.g., sorafenib tosylate or
axitinib)

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No concurrent therapeutic doses of coumarin-derivative anticoagulants, such as
warfarin

- Warfarin at doses of ≤ 2 mg daily are allowed for prophylaxis of thrombosis

- Low molecular weight heparin allowed provided PT/INR is ≤ 1.5

- No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients

- No concurrent agents with proarrhythmic potential (e.g., terfenadine, quinidine,
procainamide, disopyramide, sotalol, probucol, bepridil, haloperidol, risperidone,
indapamide, and flecainide)