PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:~I. To evaluate for efficacy by response rate (RR) when patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation who have progressed following EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy are treated with XL184 (cabozantinib [cabozantinib-s-malate]) and erlotinib (erlotinib hydrochloride).~SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Determine progression free survival (PFS) for combination XL184 (cabozantinib) and erlotinib in EGFR mutation positive patients following progression on erlotinib.~II. Assess overall survival. III. Evaluate change in tumor growth rate on XL184 (cabozantinib) and erlotinib.~IV. Evaluate type, severity, duration and outcome of toxicities. V. Correlate outcome with tumor biomarkers such as met proto-oncogene (MET) amplification, T790M mutation, and serum markers of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and MET pathways in a preliminary manner.~OUTLINE:~Patients receive cabozantinib-s-malate orally (PO) daily and erlotinib hydrochloride PO once daily (QD) 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 every 12 weeks for 1 year and then annually thereafter.
This phase II trial studies how well cabozantinib-s-malate and erlotinib hydrochloride works in treating patients with previously treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Cabozantinib-s-malate and erlotinib hydrochloride may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Cabozantinib-s-malate may also stop the growth of non-small cell lung cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving cabozantinib-s-malate together with erlotinib hydrochloride may be an effective treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.