Arsenic Trioxide, Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin in Treating Patients With Stage IV Colorectal Cancer That Has Relapsed or Not Responded to Treatment

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed colorectal cancer
• Stage IV disease (i.e., any T, any N, M1 disease)
• Relapsed or refractory disease
• * Disease progressed after ≥ 2 different fluorouracil-containing chemotherapy regimens (e.g., irinotecan hydrochloride or oxaliplatin with or without bevacizumab)
• Bidimensionally measurable disease
• Must have tumor amenable to biopsy and be willing to undergo fine-needle aspiration
• No CNS metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy \> 2 months
• Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal
• Bilirubin ≤ 2 times normal
• SGOT ≤ 5 times normal
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 4 months after completion of study treatment
• No preexisting peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• Ejection fraction ≥ 30%
• Baseline QT interval \< 500 msec
• No serious underlying medical illness or active infection
• No underlying medical condition that could be aggravated by the treatment
• No life-threatening disease unrelated to colorectal cancer
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years unless currently disease-free and all therapy for the malignancy has been completed
• No preexisting neurological disorder (i.e., seizure disorder) ≥ grade 3
• No cardiac disease, including any of the following:
• * Recurrent supraventricular arrhythmia
• * Any type of sustained ventricular arrhythmia or conduction block (e.g., grade II or III atrioventricular block or left bundle branch block)
• * Uncontrolled ischemic heart disease
• * History of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia
• * Prolonged PR intervals (i.e., 1st degree heart block)
• No known hypersensitivity to arsenic trioxide or fluorouracil
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar biologic composition to arsenic trioxide or fluorouracil
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from all treatment-related toxicity
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy and recovered
• More than 4 weeks since prior investigational drug
• No other concurrent investigational or commercial anticancer agent or therapy
• Concurrent local radiotherapy allowed for symptom relief (e.g., significant onset of pain after enrollment, but before beginning study therapy)