RO4929097 and Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy or Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Treating Patients With Brain Metastases From Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients who have histologically or cytologically confirmed breast cancer or other cancers (such as lung cancer, melanoma, etc) with newly diagnosed metastatic disease to the brain will be eligible for the Phase 1 study only, however, those patients who have available systemic therapeutic options with a demonstrated survival benefit will not be eligible; for Phase 2, patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed estrogen receptor negative breast cancer with newly diagnosed metastatic disease to the brain * Patients must have measurable disease in the brain, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least two dimensions (longest diameter and its longest perpendicular diameter to be recorded) * There is no limit on type or number of prior therapies, except that prior therapy with notch inhibitors is not allowed, and patients should not have received prior cranial radiation; therapy naïve patients are eligible; at least 14 days (2 weeks) must have elapsed from any prior experimental therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy; toxicities from prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy should have resolved to \< grade 2; patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases who have received therapeutic regimens with well-characterized, delayed toxicity (e.g. hematologic toxicity observed following carmustine \[BCNU\] or mitomycin C) will not receive experimental therapy until the patient has adequately recovered from all drug related t…