Sunitinib Malate or Valproic Acid in Preventing Metastasis in Patients With High-Risk Uveal Melanoma

Inclusion Criteria:

Age >= 18 years old
Histologically-confirmed primary uveal melanoma
Definitive local treatment for primary tumor, including surgical resection (enucleation) or radiation therapy (radioactive plaque or external proton beam)
High risk for distal recurrence defined as any of the following conditions: A) Confirmed both monosomy 3 and 8q amplification; B) Class II tumor
Less than 6 months from the date that local treatment (surgical or radiation) of the primary tumor was finalized
Karnofsky performance status (PS) scores of 70 or greater
If female, no pregnancy
If of child-bearing potential (< one year post-menopausal), must agree to practice an effective method of avoiding pregnancy (including oral or implanted contraceptives, intrauterine device, condom, diaphragm with spermicidal, cervical cap, abstinence or sterile sex partner) from the time informed consent is signed (women only) or the time of initiation of sunitinib (sunitinib malate) (men only); both men and women must agree to continue using such precautions while receiving sunitinib or valproic acid and for 30 days after the final dose
Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1500/mm^3
Platelets >= 100,000/mm^3
Hemoglobin >= 8 g/dl
Serum creatinine < 1.5 times upper limit of normal range (ULN) or creatinine clearance >= 40 ml/min
Serum bilirubin < 1.5 times ULN
Serum albumin > 2.0 g/dl
Adequate cardiac function (ejection fraction [EF] > 50%) based on multi gated acquisition (MUGA) scan or 2 dimensional-echocardiogram (2D-Echo)
Life expectancy of at least 5 years

Exclusion Criteria:

Other malignancy within 5 years, except curatively treated non-melanomatous skin cancer, curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix, or early stage (stage I or IIa) prostate cancer
Metastatic uveal melanoma
History of severe allergic reaction to sunitinib or valproic acid; inability to receive sunitinib or valproic acid
Previous treatment with sunitinib or valproic acid for uveal melanoma
Active treatment with valproic acid for non-oncological conditions, if this cannot be safely switched to an alternative agent
Active epilepsy or convulsive conditions that require continuous use of anticonvulsants
Patients with known urea cycle disorders (i.e.: ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency)
Severe cardiovascular disease within 6 months, including myocardial infarction, severe/unstable angina, coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft, symptomatic congestive heart failure, cerebro-vascular accident or transient ischemic attack, pulmonary embolism, life threatening arrhythmias, uncontrollable hypertension or QT prolongation syndrome
Active liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis, viral or autoimmune hepatitis, etc.)
Pregnancy or unwillingness to stop breast-feeding
Prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy or other investigational drug therapy within the last 6 months prior to initiation of sunitinib or valproic acid
Current evidence of hematemesis, melena or gross hematuria
History or presence of any significant bleeding disorders
Concurrent use of a strong cytochrome P450 family 3, subfamily A, polypeptide 4 (CYP3A4) inhibitor or inducer; these medications should be discontinued or switched to a different medication with a weaker CYP3A4 interaction prior to enrollment into the study; if patients need to continue the same medication(s), they are excluded from the study
Chronic usage of aspirin greater than 81 mg/day
Unable to render informed consent and to follow protocol requirements
Any other medical condition(s) that, at the discretion of the principal investigator (PI), would make the patient inappropriate for this study