3-AP and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Unresectable or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed pancreatic cancer
• * Unresectable or metastatic disease
• Measurable disease
• * Outside prior radiation ports OR within prior radiation port if evidence of disease progression after radiotherapy
• No CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• AST and ALT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN in the presence of liver metastases)
• Chronic viral hepatitis allowed
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• No myocardial infarction within the past 3 months
• No uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• No uncontrolled coronary artery disease
• No uncontrolled arrhythmias
• Pulmonary
• No dyspnea at rest
• No dependence on supplemental oxygen
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• No other malignancy except any of the following:
• * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix treated with cone biopsy or resection
• * Nonmetastatic basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
• * Any stage I malignancy curatively resected more than 5 years ago
• No active infection
• No known or suspected glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
• No other concurrent life threatening illness
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Prior vaccines, antibodies, cytokines, or small molecule cell signaling inhibitors allowed
• Chemotherapy
• No prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• More than 3 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
• Other
• More than 3 weeks since prior noncytotoxic treatment regimens and objective evidence of progressive disease
• No other concurrent investigational drugs