Perifosine in Treating Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas not amenable to curative local therapy
• * Metastatic OR locally advanced
• No known brain metastases
• No ascites that required therapeutic paracentesis on at least 2 occasions within the past 6 weeks
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2 OR
• Karnofsky 60-100%
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN with liver metastases)
• Renal
• Creatinine normal OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia
• Gastrointestinal
• No gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease resulting in the inability to take oral medication or a requirement for IV alimentation
• No uncontrolled inflammatory bowel disease
• No active peptic ulcer disease
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No prior allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to perifosine
• No other active malignant disease that could interfere with interpretation of study results
• No ongoing active infection
• No other uncontrolled concurrent illness
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic or locally advanced disease
• * Prior chemotherapy, given as a radiosensitizer, allowed in addition to single-line therapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy likely to have myelotoxic effects (more than 3,000 cGy to fields including substantial marrow) and recovered
• Surgery
• No prior GI surgery affecting absorption
• Other
• No concurrent antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies