Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan, and Capecitabine in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer
• Measurable disease (phase II only)
• * At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan or MRI
• No presence or history of CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 to 70
• Performance status
• WHO 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (1.5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• AST and ALT ≤ 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• No New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure
• No symptomatic coronary artery disease
• No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No other clinically significant cardiac disease
• Immunologic
• No active autoimmune disease
• No uncontrolled infection
• No prior severe reaction to fluoropyrimidine therapy or known hypersensitivity to fluorouracil
• No known hypersensitivity to any component of study drugs
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Patients must use effective contraception during and for 1 year after study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or localized nonmelanoma skin cancer
• No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 of any origin (e.g., alcohol or diabetes)
• No nausea, vomiting, or malabsorption syndrome that would preclude ingestion or absorption of oral medication
• No psychiatric disability that would preclude study compliance
• No uncontrolled diabetes
• No other serious underlying medical condition that would preclude study participation
• No known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent prophylactic hematopoietic growth factors
• Chemotherapy
• More than 6 months since prior adjuvant fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy
• No other prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• * Concurrent radiotherapy of a single painful lesion allowed
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior clinical trial participation
• No other concurrent experimental drugs
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No concurrent sorivudine or its chemically-related analogues (e.g., lamivudine)