Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Persistent or Recurrent Stage III or Stage IV Uterine Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed uterine carcinosarcoma (mixed mesodermal tumor)
• •* Stage III or IV disease
• •* Persistent or recurrent disease
• •Documented disease progression
• •Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 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 not considered target lesions unless there is documented disease progression
• •Ineligible for any higher priority Gynecology Oncology Group (GOG) protocol (i.e., any active GOG phase III protocol for the same patient population)
• •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)
• •SGOT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• •Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• •Renal
• •Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• •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
• •No sensory or motor neuropathy \> grade 1
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •No prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for uterine sarcoma
• •Endocrine therapy
• •At least 1 week since prior hormonal therapy for uterine sarcoma
• •Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed
• •Radiotherapy
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •Surgery
• •Not specified
• •Other
• •Recovered from all prior therapy
• •No prior anticancer therapy that would preclude study therapy