Paclitaxel in Treating Patients With Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed epithelial carcinoma of the pancreas
• * Unresectable\* locally advanced or metastatic disease NOTE: \*Documented by high-quality contrast-enhanced CT scan
• No known or clinical evidence of CNS metastasis
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• SGOT or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ
• No unstable or serious medical condition
• No psychiatric disorder that would preclude giving informed consent
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• No prior chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer
• * Prior fluorouracil as a radiosensitizer allowed
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• More than 6 weeks since prior radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer
• * Disease must have progressed after completion of radiotherapy
• Surgery
• More than 14 days since prior major surgery and recovered
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior investigational agents