DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed epithelial carcinoma of the ovary or primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma

  • No mixed Mullerian tumors
  • No borderline ovarian tumors
• Stage III or IV disease at time of diagnosis by surgical staging
• Expression of KIT (CD117) and/or platelet-derived growth factor receptor by immunohistochemistry
• Relapsed within 6 months after completion of or progressed while receiving prior frontline chemotherapy with a platinum (cisplatin or carboplatin) and a taxane (paclitaxel or docetaxel) administered concurrently or sequentially
• Measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL (transfusion allowed)

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times ULN

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease (e.g., congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction within the past 2 months)

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other adequately treated stage I or II cancer in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 28 days since prior biologic therapy
• No concurrent anticancer biologic therapy
• No concurrent cytokines (e.g., filgrastim [G-CSF] or sargramostim [GM-CSF])

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 28 days since prior chemotherapy

• No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens in addition to frontline chemotherapy

  • Retreatment with a platinum agent or with the same taxane as in the frontline regimen is not counted as an additional regimen
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Prior hormonal therapy allowed

Radiotherapy:

• Recovered from prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• Prior surgical debulking allowed for relapsed disease if measurable disease remains after surgery
• At least 14 days since prior major surgery
• Recovered from all prior surgery

Other:

• At least 28 days since prior investigational drugs
• No concurrent therapeutic doses of warfarin for anticoagulation (heparin or mini-dose warfarin (1 mg/day) allowed)
• No other concurrent anticancer agents
• No other concurrent investigational drugs