Temozolomide and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed melanoma * Unresectable stage IV disease * Mucosal and unknown primary disease allowed * Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be measured in at least one dimension as ≥ 20 mm (or as ≥ 10 mm if the CT slice thickness is ≤ 5 mm) * Measurable lesion must be outside a previously treated area * Must have 1 paraffin block of primary tumor and/or metastatic tissue available for analysis of MGMT * No ocular melanoma * No bleeding skin metastases * No CNS metastases (even if previously treated) by brain MRI PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * WHO performance status 0-2 * ANC ≥ 1.5 x 10\^9/L * Platelet count ≥ 100 x 10\^9/L * Hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L (transfusion allowed) * Serum total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT and alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN in patients with liver metastases) * Serum creatinine \< 177 μmol/L * Proteinuria \< 2+ by urine dipstick OR urine protein ≤ 1 g by 24-hour urine collection * INR ≤ 1.5 * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 12 months after completion of study treatment * No other primary tumors within the past 5 years, except adequately controlled limited basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix * No history or evidence of CNS disease unrelated to cancer (e.g., uncontrolled seizures) by physical/neurological examination, unless adequately treated with standard medical therapy * No frequent vomiting or any other pre-existing medical condition that would preclude swallowing and/or absorption of oral medication * No history or evidence of inherited bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy with risk of bleeding * No uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., systolic blood pressure \> 150 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mm Hg, measured repeatedly, despite adequate treatment with at least two different antihypertensive drugs) * No clinically significant (i.e., active) cardiovascular disease, including any of the following: * Cerebrovascular accident/stroke or myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * Unstable angina * New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or greater congestive heart failure * Serious cardiac arrhythmia (i.e., ventricular arrhythmia, high-grade atrioventricular-block) that requires medication during the study, interferes with regularity of the study treatment, or is uncontrolled by medication * No serious non-healing wound, active peptic ulcer, or non-healing bone fracture * No abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 6 months * No significant traumatic injury within the past 30 days * No uncontrolled active infection * No known HIV infection * No known hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or excipients * No evidence of any other disease, metabolic or psychological dysfunction, psychiatric disorder, physical examination finding, or clinical laboratory finding giving reasonable suspicion of a disease or condition that contraindicates the use of an investigational drug, or that may affect patient compliance with study routines, or places the patient at high risk from treatment-related complications PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant cytokine therapy (e.g., interleukin, interferon) or vaccine therapy and recovered * Prior vaccine therapy for stage IV disease allowed * Prior perfusion therapy (limb and liver) for loco-regional disease allowed * No prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease * No prior bevacizumab or other angiogenic inhibitors * No prior radiotherapy to lesion(s) selected for measurement * More than 30 days since prior treatment in a clinical trial * More than 30 days since prior major surgery with high risk of bleeding * More than 24 hours since prior minor surgery * More than 10 days since prior and no concurrent full-dose oral or parenteral anticoagulants or thrombolytic agents for therapeutic purposes * Prophylactic use of anticoagulants is allowed (e.g., maintenance of venous catheter) * More than 10 days since prior and no concurrent acetylsalicylic acid (\> 325 mg/day) or clopidogrel (\> 75 mg/day) * No other concurrent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) * No concurrent dipyridamole * No concurrent major surgery * No concurrent radiotherapy to the target lesions * No other concurrent experimental drugs or anticancer therapy