Combination Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IV Gastric Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma meeting the following criteria: * Stage IV disease OR stage III disease that was re-staged as metastatic disease at time of surgery * Unresectable disease * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan * No CNS metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 70-100% * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin normal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Alkaline phosphatase (AP), AST, and ALT must meet 1 of the following criteria: * AP normal AND AST and ALT ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN * AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST and ALT normal * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study therapy * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 * No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to platinum agents (e.g., cisplatin or carboplatin), fluoropyrimidines, or drugs formulated with polysorbate 80 * No concurrent serious illness that would preclude study treatment or compliance * No active infections requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for cervical carcinoma in situ, breast ductal carcinoma in situ, colonic polyp, or squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma of the skin * No clinically significant uncontrolled cardiac disease (e.g., congestive heart failure, symptomatic coronary artery disease, or cardiac arrhythmias) or myocardial infarction within the past 12 months PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * No prior radiotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma * No prior chemotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma * Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy allowed if completed therapy at least 12 months before study enrollment * Chemotherapy may have included taxane, platinum, or fluoropyrimidine-based regimen * At least 2 months since prior surgery and recovered * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies