This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of tipifarnib when given together with gemcitabine hydrochloride and to see how well they work in treating women with breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Tipifarnib is a drug that binds to specific proteins on the tumor cells and then kills these cells. Gemcitabine hydrochloride is a chemotherapy drug that may kill tumor cells by preventing cells from dividing. Giving tipifarnib together with gemcitabine hydrochloride may kill more tumor cells.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the objective response rate of the combination of gemcitabine (gemcitabine hydrochloride) and the farnesyltransferase inhibitor tipifarnib (R115777) in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

II. To evaluate the duration of response, time to disease progression in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with the combination of gemcitabine and tipifarnib (R115777).

OUTLINE: This is a phase I, dose-escalation study of tipifarnib followed by a phase II study.

Patients receive tipifarnib orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-14 and gemcitabine hydrochloride intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on days 1 and 8. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically confirmed breast cancer and clinical evidence of metastatic disease
• Patients may have received any number or type of hormonal therapies, either for stage IV disease and/or as adjuvant therapy; patients may have received trastuzumab therapy
• Patients may have received up to 2 prior chemotherapy regimens as therapy for metastatic breast cancer; patients must have recovered from the myelosuppressive effects of prior chemotherapy and all toxicity must have recovered to grade less than or equal to 1
• Concomitant bisphosphonates are allowed for patients with bone metastases
• Localized radiotherapy that does not influence the single evaluable lesion is allowed prior to the initiation of therapy; patients must have recovered from the myelosuppressive effects of previous radiotherapy (at least 4 weeks)
• Patients must have measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as > 20 mm with conventional techniques or as > 10 mm with spiral computed tomography (CT) scan
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status less than or equal to 2 (Karnofsky > 60%)
• Leukocytes >= 3,000/mcL
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mcL
• Platelets >= 100,000/mcL
• Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 × institutional upper limit of normal
• Creatinine within normal institutional limits OR creatinine clearance >= 60 mL/min/1.73 m^2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal
• 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
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
• There should be a four-week delay between the conclusion of radiation and the start of gemcitabine, provided the acute effects of radiation treatment have resolved

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prior therapy with farnesyltransferase inhibitor or gemcitabine for metastatic breast cancer
• Patients with leptomeningeal disease and/or brain metastasis
• Patients with symptomatic lymphangitic pulmonary metastases
• Patients with peripheral neuropathy greater than or equal to grade 2
• No history of concomitant malignancy except for non-melanoma skin cancer or cervical cancer in situ or other malignancy treated curatively and no evidence of disease for at least five years
• Patients who have had chemotherapy within 2 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier
• Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to tipifarnib (R115777), or imidazole derivatives
• 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 would limit compliance with study requirements
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study