Paclitaxel With or Without Cixutumumab as Second-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Esophageal Cancer or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Life expectancy \>= 12 weeks * Women must not be pregnant or breast-feeding due to potential harm to fetus from cixutumumab (IMC-A12) and paclitaxel; all females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine study within 48 hours prior to registration to rule out pregnancy * Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method or birth control; abstinence) for the duration of study therapy and for 3 months after the last dose of cixutumumab (IMC-A12); should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately * Patients must have measurable disease * Patients must have metastatic disease of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction * Histologic, cytologic or radiologic documentation of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction; radiologic, endoscopic, histologic or cytologic evidence of locally recurrent or locally residual (post-resection) disease is also permitted * For the purposes of this study, undifferentiated adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous tumors will be considered as adenocarcinomas; in addition, tumors involving the gastroesophageal junction will be defined by the Siewert classification * Patients with gastroesophageal junction tumors who are eligible: * Adenocarcinoma of the esophageal junction (AEG) Type I: adenocarcinoma…