• Overall survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Toxicity [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  

• Disease-specific survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Biochemical failure-free survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Symptom and treatment-free survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Qualitiy of life [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Determine the overall survival of patients with previously resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with postoperative cisplatin, interferon alfa, fluorouracil, and concurrent radiotherapy.
• Determine the toxic effects of this regimen in these patients.

Secondary

• Determine the disease-specific, biochemical failure-free, and symptom/treatment-free survival of patients treated with this regimen.
• Determine the quality of life of patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE:

• Chemoradiotherapy: Patients receive fluorouracil IV continuously and interferon alfa subcutaneously 3 times per week (total of 17 doses) on days 1-19 and 29-45 and cisplatin IV over 6 hours on days 1, 8, 15, 29, 36 and 43. Patients also undergo concurrent radiotherapy once daily, 5 days a week in weeks 1-3 and 5-7 (28 fractions).
• Post-chemoradiotherapy fluorouracil: Patients receive fluorouracil IV continuously on days 71-108 and 127-168.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 44 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head or uncinate process

  • Stage I, II, or III

• Completely resected disease (R0 or R1)

  • Postoperative CA 19-9 less than 100
  • Study treatment must begin within 12 weeks of surgery
• Postoperative CT scan without evidence of radiographically definable residual primary/metastatic disease or clinically significant postsurgical changes

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• WBC greater than 3,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count greater than 75,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic

• Not specified

Renal

• Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• Bilateral renal function by excretory urogram (IVP) or abdominal CT scan OR at least 2/3 of 1 functioning kidney must be able to be shielded from the radiotherapy beam

Cardiovascular

• No significant cardiovascular disease
• No unstable angina
• No congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

• No severe pulmonary disease

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Prior history of non-pancreatic malignancy allowed at the discretion of the study chair provided patient is free of the primary cancer
• No concurrent acute infection

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics