FR901228 in Treating Patients With Previously Treated Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer meeting 1 of the following criteria:
• * Locally advanced unresectable disease
• * Distant metastatic disease
• Measurable disease
• Previously treated with at least 1, but no more than 2, prior chemotherapy regimens for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic disease
• * May have included irinotecan or oxaliplatin
• * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen (not oxaliplatin-based) for advanced or metastatic disease if previously treated with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy
• * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen (not irinotecan-based) for advanced or metastatic disease if previously treated with irinotecan-based adjuvant chemotherapy
• No known brain metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 18
• Performance status
• Zubrod 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No uncontrolled dysrhythmias
• No poorly controlled angina
• No prior serious ventricular arrhythmia (e.g., ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row)
• No left ventricular hypertrophy
• QTc \< 500 msec
• No other significant cardiac disease
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No prior allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to FR901228
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent anticancer immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 28 days since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• No prior FR901228 (depsipeptide)
• No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent anticancer hormonal therapy
• Radiotherapy
• At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent anticancer radiotherapy
• Surgery
• At least 28 days since prior surgery and recovered
• Other
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No concurrent agent that causes QTc prolongation
• No concurrent hydrochlorothiazide
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent drugs that have histone deacetylase inhibitor activity (e.g., valproic acid)
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy