RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells.

PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of combination chemotherapy when given with radiation therapy in treating patients with stage III or stage IV endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the safety and maximum tolerated doses of paclitaxel and cisplatin when administered with radiotherapy in patients with stage III or IV endometrial cancer.
• Assess the time to disease progression and overall survival of patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of paclitaxel and cisplatin.

Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour and cisplatin IV on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. Patients also undergo whole abdominal radiotherapy for 5 consecutive days weekly for 6 weeks.

Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of paclitaxel and cisplatin until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Once the MTD is determined, additional patients are treated at that dose level.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 3-48 patients will be accrued for part I and 14-20 patients will be accrued for part II of this study.

• Drug: cisplatin
• Drug: paclitaxel
• Procedure: adjuvant therapy
• Radiation: radiation therapy

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed surgical stage III or IV endometrial cancer OR
• Any stage clear or serous papillary endometrial cancer
• Positive para-aortic lymph nodes allowed

• Tumor must be surgically reduced to 2 cm or less within 8 weeks of study

  • Must have had hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
• No recurrent disease
• No metastases to lung or liver parenchyma or inguinal or scalene lymph nodes

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• GOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 2,000/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT no greater than 3 times ULN

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Other:

• No other prior or concurrent malignancy in the past 5 years except non-melanoma skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• No prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 8 weeks since prior surgery

Other:

• No prior anticancer therapy that would preclude study