Gemcitabine and Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Persistent, Recurrent, or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
• Metastatic, persistent, or recurrent disease
• Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• Must have had definitive surgery and/or radiation therapy AND received at least 1, but no more than 2, chemotherapy regimens, either given as primary therapy or adjuvant therapy before or after surgery and/or radiotherapy
• No active or prior CNS metastasis
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• SWOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic
• Granulocyte count \> 1,500/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL
• Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin normal
• Meets 1 of the following criteria:
• * Alkaline phosphatase (AP) normal AND AST or ALT ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• * AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• * AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST or ALT normal
• Renal
• Creatinine \< 1.5 mg/dL
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 3 months after completion of study treatment
• No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• No active infection requiring systemic therapy
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or any other site
• No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to study drugs or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
• No other serious condition that would preclude study treatment
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior taxane or gemcitabine
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other
• No other concurrent therapy for this disease