• Objective response rate
• Toxic effects
• Recovery

• Progression-free survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Overall survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• Progression-free survival
• Overall survival

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining oxaliplatin with paclitaxel in treating patients who have locally recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the objective response rate of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer treated with oxaliplatin and paclitaxel.
• Determine the toxic effects of this regimen in these patients.
• Determine the recovery from toxic effects in patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed ever 3 months.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 18-46 patients will be accrued for this study within 9-23 months.

• Drug: oxaliplatin
• Drug: paclitaxel

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed cervical cancer of 1 of the following subtypes:

  • Squamous cell
  • Adenosquamous cell
  • Adenocarcinoma
• Metastatic disease to organs or lymph nodes outside the pelvis OR
• Locally recurrent disease in the pelvis after definitive therapy (surgery or radiotherapy) with at least 50% increase in size by sequential imaging studies

• Measurable disease

  • At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion at least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2 OR
• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy

• More than 2 months

Hematopoietic

• WBC at least 3,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• Bilirubin normal
• AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal

• Creatinine normal

Cardiovascular

• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to oxaliplatin, cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, or docetaxel
• No concurrent uncontrolled illness
• No ongoing or active infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• Prior chemotherapy administered with radiotherapy as primary, definitive therapy allowed
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• See Chemotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from prior surgery

Other

• No prior cytotoxic agents for advanced or recurrent disease
• No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent investigational or commercial agents or therapies for the malignancy