Akt Inhibitor MK2206 in Treating Patients With Progressive, Recurrent, or Metastatic Adenoid Cyst Carcinoma

This phase II trial studies how well Akt inhibitor MK2206 works in treating patients with progressive, recurrent, or metastatic adenoid cyst carcinoma (cancer). Akt inhibitor MK2206 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the confirmed response rate of patients with progressive, recurrent/metastatic adenoid cyst carcinoma (ACC) treated with v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt) inhibitor MK2206 (MK-2206).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety/tolerability for MK-2206 in these patients.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To explore potential genetic/cytogenetic/histopathologic predictors of clinical outcome (i.e., response, PFS, OS) to MK-2206.

II. To explore the hypothesis that MK-2206-mediated Akt inhibition and downregulation of v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (c-myb) protein levels in ACC tumors correlates to clinical outcome (i.e., response, PFS, OS).

OUTLINE:

Patients receive Akt inhibitor MK2206 orally (PO) once weekly for 4 weeks. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of treatment, patients are followed up every 6 months for up to 3 years.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have pathologically confirmed adenoid cystic carcinoma; confirmation will be performed locally at each participating institution; cancers arising from non-salivary gland primary sites are allowed
* Patients must have measurable disease, as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for non-nodal lesions and short axis for nodal lesions) as \>= 2.0 cm with conventional techniques or as \>= 1.0 cm with spiral computed tomography (CT) scan; to be considered pathologically enlarged and measurable, a lymph node must be \> 1.5 cm in short axis when assessed by CT scan (CT scan slice-thickness recommended to be no greater than 5 mm)
* Patients must have locally advanced and/or recurrent and/or metastatic disease not amenable to potentially curative surgery or radiotherapy
* Patients must have increasing disease, defined as the presence of new or progressive lesion(s) on CT/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 6 months prior to study enrollment and/or new/worsening disease-related symptoms; NOTE: this increase in disease is to be determined in the oncologist's best judgment and does not have to meet Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria
* Chemotherapy and radiation therapy must be completed at least 4 weeks prior to registration; if the last regimen included Carmustine (BCNU) or mitomycin C, it must be completed at least 6 weeks prior to registration; NOTE: any number of prior chemotherapy regimens is allowed, including no prior treatment
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2 (equivalent to Karnofsky \>= 50%)
* Leukocytes \>= 3,000/mm\^3
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelets \>= 75,000/mm\^3
* Total bilirubin =\< institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) (aspartate aminotransferase \[AST\]) or serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) =\< 2.5 institutional upper limit of normal
* Creatinine =\< ULN OR creatinine clearance \>= 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above ULN
* Patients must be able to swallow whole tablets; NOTE: nasogastric or gastric (G) tube administration is not allowed; tablets must not be crushed or chewed
* Patients must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have received prior treatment with phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PI3K), v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt), or mechanistic target of rapamycin (serine/threonine kinase) (mTOR) inhibitors for recurrent/metastatic ACC
* Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents
* Patients with known brain metastases
* History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to MK-2206 or other agents used in the study
* Patients receiving any medications or substances that are major inhibitors or inducers of cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A, polypeptide 4 (CYP450 3A4)
* Diabetic patients with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of greater than 8%; NOTE: preclinical studies demonstrated the potential of MK-2206 for induction of hyperglycemia in all preclinical species tested; patients with diabetes or at risk for hyperglycemia should not be excluded from trials with MK-2206, but the hyperglycemia should be well controlled before the patient enters the trial
* Cardiovascular baseline Fridericia corrected QT (QTcF) \> 450 msec (male) or QTcF \> 470 msec (female) will exclude patients from entry on study; NOTE: medications that may cause QTc interval prolongation should be avoided by patients entering on trial
* 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, in the opinion of the investigator, would limit compliance with study requirements
* Pregnant women; NOTE: women of child-bearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test within 7 days prior to registration

  * Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; 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
  * Breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with MK-2206
* Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy
* Other active malignancy, other than indolent malignancies which the investigator determines are unlikely to interfere with treatment and safety analysis