Gamma-Secretase/Notch Signalling Pathway Inhibitor RO4929097 in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically confirmed melanoma of cutaneous or unknown origin (ocular primary and mucosal primary excluded); patients must have Stage IV disease * All patients must undergo a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain within 42 days prior to registration that is negative for brain metastases; patients with a history of brain metastases are ineligible * Patients must have measurable disease; all measurable lesions must be assessed (by physical examination, CT, or MRI scan) within 28 days prior to registration; tests to assess non-measurable disease must be performed within 42 days prior to registration; all disease must be assessed and documented on the Baseline Tumor Assessment Form (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors \[RECIST\] 1.1); the CT from a combined positron emission tomography (PET)/CT must not be used to document measurable disease unless it is of diagnostic quality * Sites must offer all patients participation in translational medicine studies and banking of paraffin embedded tissue and whole blood * Patients must not have received any prior systemic therapy for Stage IV disease except for noncytotoxic biologic agents (e.g., vaccines, cytokines, cell therapies that do not require cytotoxic agents); patients may have received prior treatment with up to two prior biological therapies - no cytotoxics or kinase inhibitors - for advanced disease * Patients may have had prior adjuvant i…