Capecitabine and Lapatinib Ditosylate in Treating Patients With Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck

Inclusion * Histologically or cytologically confirmed SCCHN * All primary sites are eligible excluding nasopharyngeal * Metastatic disease or locally recurrent disease not felt amenable to curative therapy (as determined by a physician) * ECOG performance status 0-2 * No prior chemotherapy in the metastatic / locally advanced, recurrent incurable setting; patients may have received prior curative-intention chemotherapy including induction chemotherapy, chemotherapy concurrent with radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy * No prior capecitabine; patients who have received 5-FU or other fluoropyrimidines in the curative-intention setting will not be excluded, as long as more than 6 mos have elapsed since prior 5-FU exposure * No previous history of Lapatinib * Previous use of cetuximab in the curative-intention setting will not result in exclusion, as long as at least four weeks have elapsed since prior C225 exposure * Patients may have received radiation therapy in the definitive, adjuvant or metastatic setting; radiation therapy must be completed at least 14 days prior to study participation * ECOG performance status of 0-2 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) * Must have normal organ and marrow function * Laboratory tests should be completed within 14 days prior to registration * Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) can be determined by either echocardiography or nuclear scintigraphy and should be obtained within 21 days of enrollment * Platelets \>= 100,000/mm\^3 * Total bilirubin =\< 2 *…