Cetuximab, Gemcitabine, and Oxaliplatin Followed By Surgery or External-Beam Radiation Therapy and Capecitabine in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced, Nonmetastatic Pancreatic Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or radiologically confirmed pancreatic cancer, meeting both of the following criteria:
• * Locally advanced, nonmetastatic disease
• * Surgically unresectable disease
• Measurable disease, defined as unidimensionally measurable by physical exam or imaging study
• * The following are considered nonmeasurable disease:
• * Bone-only disease
• * Pleural or peritoneal effusions
• * CNS lesions
• * Irradiated lesions in the absence of progression after radiotherapy
• No history or evidence of CNS disease
• No metastatic disease to distant organs (e.g., liver, lung, brain, or bone)
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 90 days after completion of study therapy
• No acute hepatitis
• No known HIV positivity
• No active or uncontrolled infection
• No significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
• * Uncontrolled hypertension
• * Unstable angina
• * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• * Cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection fraction
• No prior severe infusion reaction to a monoclonal antibody
• No active second malignancy other than nonmelanoma skin cancer
• No history of deep vein thrombosis
• No history of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
• No other severe concurrent disease, mental incapacitation, or psychiatric illness that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• No prior therapy for pancreatic cancer
• No prior therapy specifically targeting the epidermal growth factor-receptor pathway
• No major surgical procedure or open biopsy within the past 28 days
• No prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy
• No prior or concurrent full-dose anticoagulants or thrombolytics