Cetuximab, Gemcitabine, and Oxaliplatin in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed pancreatic cancer * Locally advanced or metastatic disease * No active CNS metastases * Patients with stable CNS disease, who have undergone radiotherapy within the past 4 weeks and who have been on a stable dose of corticosteroids for \> 3 weeks, are eligible PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if known hepatic metastases) * AST and ALT ≤ 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if known hepatic metastases) * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 90 days after completion of study treatment * No significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease, including any of the following: * Uncontrolled hypertension * Unstable angina * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure * Cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection fraction * No prior severe infusion reaction to a monoclonal antibody * No active infection or fever ≥ 38.5°C within the past 3 days * No known hypersensitivity to any components of gemcitabine hydrochloride, oxaliplatin, or to a monoclonal antibody * No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 * No known HIV positivity * No hepatitis B or C infection (active, previously treated, or both) * No other medical condition, including mental illness or substance abuse, that would preclude study compliance PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * Recovered from all prior therapy, including surgery * More than 30 days since prior investigational therapy * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No prior radiotherapy to more than 25% of bone marrow * More than 30 days since prior chemotherapy * No prior chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer * Prior fluoropyrimidine as a radiosensitizer allowed * Prior gemcitabine hydrochloride in the adjuvant setting allowed * No prior therapy that specifically and directly targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway * No prior allogeneic transplantation * No other concurrent investigational therapy, chemotherapy, or systemic antineoplastic therapy * No other concurrent treatment that targets the EGFR * No other concurrent monoclonal antibody therapy * No concurrent radiotherapy except for local control of bone pain