DX-8951f in Treating Patients With Metastatic Stomach Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma
• * Lymph node involvement and/or distant metastasis
• No squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, lymphoma, or leiomyosarcoma of the stomach
• Measurable disease with indicator lesions outside the field of prior radiotherapy
• * At least 20 mm by conventional scan OR
• * At least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• * Nonmeasurable lesions include the following:
• * Primary tumor
• * Bone lesions
• * Leptomeningeal disease
• * Ascites
• * Pleural/pericardial effusion
• * Inflammatory breast disease
• * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonitis
• * Cystic lesions
• * Abdominal masses not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
• No prior treatment for locally advanced or metastatic disease
• * Prior adjuvant treatment allowed if disease recurrence noted at least 6 months after completion of adjuvant treatment
• No known brain metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3
• Hemoglobin at least 9.0 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• AST or ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
• Albumin at least 2.8 g/dL
• PT or INR no greater than 1.5 times ULN (coumadin independent)
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No active congestive heart failure
• No uncontrolled angina
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• Other:
• No concurrent serious infection
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No overt psychosis, mental disability, or incompetence that would preclude informed consent
• No other life-threatening illness
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Biologic therapy:
• No concurrent anti-cancer biologic therapy
• No concurrent prophylactic colony stimulating factors during first course of therapy
• Chemotherapy:
• Recovered from prior adjuvant chemotherapy
• No other concurrent anti-cancer chemotherapy
• No other concurrent anti-cancer cytotoxic therapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• Concurrent megestrol for appetite stimulation allowed
• Radiotherapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No prior wide-field radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow
• No concurrent anti-cancer radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered
• No concurrent anti-cancer surgery
• Other:
• No other investigational drugs (including analgesics or antiemetics) for at least 4 weeks prior to, during, and for 4 weeks after study