Combination Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IV Gastric Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma meeting the following criteria:
• * Stage IV disease OR stage III disease that was re-staged as metastatic disease at time of surgery
• * Unresectable disease
• Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• No CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 70-100%
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Bilirubin normal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• Alkaline phosphatase (AP), AST, and ALT must meet 1 of the following criteria:
• * AP normal AND AST and ALT ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• * AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• * AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST and ALT normal
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study therapy
• No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1
• No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to platinum agents (e.g., cisplatin or carboplatin), fluoropyrimidines, or drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
• No concurrent serious illness that would preclude study treatment or compliance
• No active infections requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for cervical carcinoma in situ, breast ductal carcinoma in situ, colonic polyp, or squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma of the skin
• No clinically significant uncontrolled cardiac disease (e.g., congestive heart failure, symptomatic coronary artery disease, or cardiac arrhythmias) or myocardial infarction within the past 12 months
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• No prior radiotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma
• No prior chemotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma
• * Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy allowed if completed therapy at least 12 months before study enrollment
• * Chemotherapy may have included taxane, platinum, or fluoropyrimidine-based regimen
• At least 2 months since prior surgery and recovered
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies