DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven ovarian epithelial cancer

  • Progressive disease during or after completion of at least one platinum based chemotherapy regimen

• Bidimensionally measurable disease

  • At least 2 cm by x-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound
• No active, symptomatic brain metastases (e.g., cerebral edema and/or progressive tumor growth)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• WHO 0-2

Life expectancy:

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• WBC at least 4,000/mm3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.7 mg/dL
• AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (no greater than 5 times ULN if liver metastases present)

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.4 mg/dL

Other:

• No active, uncontrolled infection
• No nonmalignant systemic disease which would increase risk to patient
• No other malignancies within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 2 months after study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks since nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• No more than 2 prior multidrug chemotherapy regimens
• No more than 1 prior single agent chemotherapy regimen

Endocrine therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior endocrine therapy and recovered
• No concurrent steroids
• Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed

Radiotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy (excluding palliative therapy) and recovered
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• At least 4 weeks since prior major thoracic or abdominal surgery

Other:

• No other concurrent anticancer therapy or investigational drugs