Gemcitabine With or Without Capecitabine in Treating Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed primary inoperable or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma
• No CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• Over 18
• Performance status:
• Karnofsky 60-100%
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 3,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 10.0 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 5 times normal
• AST/ALT no greater than 5 times normal
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 5 times normal
• Renal:
• Creatinine clearance at least 30 mL/min
• Gastrointestinal:
• No grade 2 or greater nausea or grade 1 or greater vomiting
• No medical condition that would interfere with taking oral medications or with gastrointestinal absorption (e.g., small bowel obstruction)
• Other:
• No prior unanticipated severe reaction to fluoropyrimidine therapy
• No known hypersensitivity to fluorouracil
• No known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency
• No active infection
• No other serious concurrent systemic disorders that would preclude study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy:
• No prior capecitabine
• No prior chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer
• At least 1 year since prior radiochemotherapy for pancreatic cancer
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• See Chemotherapy
• At least 1 year since prior adjuvant radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• Prior Whipple procedure or duodenal bypass allowed
• Other:
• At least 1 month since prior investigational agents
• No concurrent sorivudine or its chemically related analogues (e.g., brivudine)
• No other concurrent anticancer or investigational drugs