Nintedanib in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

This phase II trial studies how well nintedanib works in treating patients with neuroendocrine tumors that have spread from where they started to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or have spread from the primary site (place where they started) to other places in the body (metastatic). Nintedanib may stop the growth of tumor cells by slowing or stopping a certain type of receptor called vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) from attaching to its target. This may stop the growth of neuroendocrine tumors by blocking the growth of new blood vessels necessary for tumor growth.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess progression free survival (PFS), defined as the time interval from initiation of therapy, to its cessation for documentation of progressive disease (PD) or death.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the clinical response (complete response + partial response) in all patients with measurable disease (using standard Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors \[RECIST\] version \[v\]1.1 criteria).

II. To assess overall survival (OS) in all patients. III. Assess changes in quality of life (QOL) throughout treatment using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire (QLQ) - Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET) 21 (GI.NET21) questionnaire for carcinoid patients with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors, in all patients who have filled out at least two QOL questionnaires and, will be reported by groups based on response (response, stable disease or progressive disease).

IV. Steady-state pharmacokinetics (PK) of nintedanib, biomarkers, regulatory T cell (Treg) and cytokine expression and growth factors will be analyzed for all patients and reported in groups based on response.

V. Gene mutations and copy number alterations analysis in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway (will be performed only on the first 10 patients), protein expression of activation of protein kinase B (Akt) (as well as other downstream targets).

VI. Toxicity (graded using the National Cancer Institute \[NCI\] Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events \[CTCAE\] version 4.0) will be closely monitored and all toxicities will be tabulated.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive nintedanib orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-28. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days and then every 3 months for 2 years.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patient must be on a stable dose of octreotide (Sandostatin®) long-acting release (LAR) or lanreotide for 3 months prior to study enrollment
* Patient must have histologically or cytologically confirmed well differentiated or moderately differentiated (low grade or intermediate grade) neuroendocrine tumor that is locally advanced or metastatic and not of pancreatic origin
* Measurable disease determined by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
* Have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2
* Life expectancy greater than 3 months
* Leukocytes \>= 3,000/uL
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/uL
* Total bilirubin =\< 2 mg/dL
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =\< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) and bilirubin =\< ULN for patients without liver metastases
* AST/ALT =\< 2.5 x ULN and bilirubin =\< ULN for patients with liver metastases
* Patients with Gilbert syndrome and bilirubin \< 2 x ULN and normal AST/ALT
* Creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dl
* Prior treatment will be permitted including surgery (\>= 4 weeks), cytotoxic chemotherapy (maximum of 2 prior regimens); radiation, interferon, targeted growth factors (\>= 4 weeks); and prior treatment with octreotide, will be allowed
* Ability to swallow and retain oral medication
* Participants of child-bearing potential (both male and female) must agree to use adequate contraceptive methods (e.g., hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
* Participant or legal representative must understand the investigational nature of this study and sign an Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board approved written informed consent form prior to receiving any study related procedure
* Archival tissue of carcinoid biopsy must be available

Exclusion Criteria:

* Uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, New York Heart Association grade II or greater congestive heart failure, unstable symptomatic arrhythmia requiring medication, or clinically significant peripheral vascular disease (grade II or greater)
* Presence of brain metastases
* Major surgical procedure, open biopsy, or significant traumatic injury within 28 days prior to day 0, or anticipated need for major surgical procedure during the course of the study, or fine needle aspirations or core biopsies within 7 days prior to day 0
* Significant proteinuria at baseline (\>= 500 mg/24 hours \[h\])
* Serious non-healing wound, ulcer or bone fracture
* Evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
* Recent (=\< 6 months) arterial thromboembolic events, including transient ischemic attack, cerebrovascular accident, unstable angina, or myocardial infarction
* Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma, high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma, adenocarcinoid, goblet cell carcinoma, or small cell carcinoma
* Hepatic artery embolization or ablation of hepatic metastasis within 3 months of enrollment, prior peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) within 4 months or any other cancer therapy within 4 weeks (as long as all toxicities are resolved)
* Intolerance or hypersensitivity to octreotide
* Severe or uncontrolled medical conditions
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* Pregnant or nursing female participants
* Unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements
* Any condition which in the investigator's opinion deems the participant an unsuitable candidate to receive study drug