PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Compare the progression-free survival rate at 4 months (PFS4) of patients with ocular melanoma treated with cabozantinib-s-malate (cabozantinib) or temozolomide (or dacarbazine).~SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Estimate the distribution of progression-free survival (PFS) times. II. Estimate the distribution of overall survival (OS) times. III. Estimate the confirmed response rate as determined by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria.~IV. Assess the safety of these agents by examining the toxicity profile. V. Correlate the response of MET molecular status.~OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.~ARM I: Patients receive cabozantinib-s-malate orally (PO) once daily (QD) on days 1-28. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.~ARM II: Patients receive temozolomide PO daily on days 1-5. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. If temozolomide is not available, patients receive dacarbazine intravenously (IV) over 15-60 minutes on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.~After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 12 weeks for 2 years.
This randomized phase II trial studies how well cabozantinib-s-malate works compared with temozolomide or dacarbazine in treating patients with melanoma of the eye (ocular melanoma) that has spread to other parts of the body and cannot be removed by surgery. Cabozantinib-s-malate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide and dacarbazine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether cabozantinib-s-malate works better than temozolomide or dacarbazine in treating patients with melanoma of the eye.