Vorinostat and Trastuzumab in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Locally Recurrent Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
No active or ongoing infection
No history of allergic reaction to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to vorinostat or other agents used in study
No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
No other uncontrolled illness
More than 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin; 1 week for capecitabine) and recovered
More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
Recovered from prior therapy
At least 2 weeks since prior valproic acid
More than 4 weeks since prior investigational agents
More than 4 weeks since prior lapatinib ditosylate
No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
Measurable disease, defined as >= 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion > 20 mm by conventional techniques or > 10 mm by spiral CT scan
No other concurrent investigational agents
Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed provided therapy was initiated prior to study treatment
No other concurrent anticancer therapy
Recurrent or progressive disease while receiving prior trastuzumab (Herceptin) (with or without chemotherapy) OR relapsed within 3 months of last dose of prior adjuvant trastuzumab for metastatic disease
Histologically confirmed breast cancer
Must overexpress HER-2 gene
Metastatic or chest wall recurrent disease
Site of measurable disease must not have been irradiated (except chest wall recurrence treated with adjuvant radiation therapy)
No untreated brain metastases
Previously treated brain metastasis responsive to radiotherapy and/or surgery allowed provided the brain is not the sole site of measurable disease
ECOG 0-2
Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mm^3
Platelet count >= 100,000/mm^3
Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL
AST and ALT =< 2 times upper limit of normal
Bilirubin =< 1.5 mg/dL (3 mg/dL in the presence of Gilbert's disease provided direct bilirubin is normal)
Creatinine =< 1.5 mg/dL
LVEF normal by nuclear scan or echocardiogram
No evidence of PR prolongation or AV block by EKG
No symptomatic congestive heart failure
No unstable angina pectoris
No cardiac arrhythmia