DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of ovarian epithelial, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer

  • Recurrent disease

• Must have received a prior platinum-based regimen

  • Platinum-sensitive (treatment-free interval > 6 months)
  • No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens

• Measurable disease

  • At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
  • Not in a prior irradiation field
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2 OR
• Karnofsky 80-100%

Life expectancy

• More than 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
• No bleeding diathesis

Hepatic

• Bilirubin < 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST or ALT ≤ 2 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine < 2 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• Abnormal cardiac conduction (e.g., bundle branch block or heart block) allowed if stable for the past 6 months
• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No cardiac arrhythmia
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

• Adequate intestinal function

  • No concurrent requirements for IV hydration or nutritional support

• No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to sorafenib or other agents used in the study

  • Patients who have had a reaction to a taxane or a platinum and have not yet been rechallenged may undergo a desensitization regimen on study

• No hypersensitivity to paclitaxel or drugs using the vehicle Cremophor®El

  • Prior hypersensitivity reaction to paclitaxel allowed provided rechallenged successfully
• No active or ongoing infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No other concurrent uncontrolled illness
• No other invasive malignancy with the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered

Endocrine therapy

• More than 3 weeks since prior hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No prior sorafenib
• No prior anticancer therapy that contraindicates study therapy
• No concurrent cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital), rifampin, or Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients

• No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation therapy

  • Concurrent prophylactic low-dose warfarin allowed for maintenance of venous or arterial access devices
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer therapies