Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed soft tissue sarcoma of 1 of the following histologies:

- Angiosarcoma, cutaneous or visceral

- Malignant hemangiosarcoma

- Malignant hemangiopericytoma

- Grade 3-4 leiomyosarcoma

- Grade 3-4 liposarcoma

- Must have evidence of unresectable residual disease, metastatic disease, or recurrent
disease by radiography

- Measurable disease by x-ray, scans, or physical examination

- Archived paraffin-embedded tumor sections available

- No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

- SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if due to liver
metastases)

- Bilirubin normal (≤ 2.5 times ULN if due to liver metastases)

- PT, PTT, and INR normal

Renal

- Creatinine normal OR

- Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

- No history of thromboembolic disease

- No uncontrolled hypertension

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- Able to swallow oral medication

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or
squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated
stage I or II cancer in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- Not specified

Chemotherapy

- At least 28 days since prior chemotherapy (42 days for carmustine or mitomycin) and
recovered

- Prior adjuvant chemotherapy allowed

- No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease

Endocrine therapy

- Not specified

Radiotherapy

- At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered

- Must have evidence of disease progression within, or measurable disease outside
of, the radiation field after completion of radiotherapy

Surgery

- At least 28 days since prior major surgery and recovered

Other

- No prior sorafenib

- No prior inhibitor of VEGFR or MAPK pathway

- No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation

- No concurrent administration of any of the following medications:

- Rifampin

- Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)

- Cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs, including any of the
following:

- Phenytoin

- Carbamazepine

- Phenobarbital