Tipifarnib and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed pancreatic cancer
• •* Locally advanced disease
• •Unresectable disease requiring radiotherapy
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 and over
• •Performance status
• •ECOG 0-2
• •Life expectancy
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic
• •Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic
• •AST or ALT \< grade 2 elevation
• •Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL\* NOTE: \*Prior biliary stent procedure to normalize bilirubin levels allowed
• •Renal
• •Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times normal
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •HIV negative
• •No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• •No known allergy to imidazole drugs, including any of the following:
• •* Clotrimazole
• •* Ketoconazole
• •* Miconazole
• •* Econazole
• •* Fenticonazole
• •* Isoconazole
• •* Sulconazole
• •* Tioconazole
• •* Terconazole
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •At least 4 weeks since prior experimental or standard chemotherapy and recovered
• •No concurrent experimental chemotherapy
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •No prior upper abdominal radiotherapy
• •Surgery
• •Not specified