Cetuximab and Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced, Persistent, or Recurrent Cervical Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed squamous or non-squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix
• * Advanced, persistent, or recurrent disease
• * Documented disease progression
• Not amenable to curative therapy
• Measurable disease
• * At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• At least 1 target lesion
• * Tumors within a previously irradiated field are designated as non-target lesions unless progression is documented or a biopsy is obtained ≥ 90 days after completion of radiotherapy to confirm persistence
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• GOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No significant history of cardiac disease within the past 6 months, including the following:
• * Unstable angina
• * Uncontrolled hypertension
• * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• * Uncontrolled arrhythmia
• Neurologic
• No uncontrolled seizure disorder
• No active neurological disease
• No neuropathy (sensory and motor) \> grade 1
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active infection requiring antibiotics
• No other invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No prior anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody therapy
• No prior chimerized or murine monoclonal antibody therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Not specified
• Endocrine therapy
• At least 1 week since prior anticancer hormonal therapy
• Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery
• More than 30 days since prior major surgery, except diagnostic biopsy
• Other
• Recovered from all prior therapy
• No prior cytotoxic therapy for cervical cancer
• No prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy that targets the EGFR pathway
• No prior cancer treatment that would contraindicate study therapy
• No other concurrent investigational agents