DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed ovarian epithelial or primary peritoneal cancer

  • Advanced disease

• Meets at least 1 of the following criteria:

  • Measurable disease
  • Evaluable disease plus CA 125 ≥ 2 times post-treatment nadir

• Treated with 1, and only 1, prior platin-containing chemotherapy regimen (e.g., paclitaxel or carboplatin-based) for ovarian epithelial or primary peritoneal cancer

  • Prior treatment with the same regimen at first relapse allowed
  • No more than 3 total chemotherapy regimens allowed provided exactly 1 has been platin-containing
  • Must also have platin-resistant disease as defined for Group 1
  • Rechallenge with a single regimen upon progression after a hiatus from therapy counts as a single regimen

• Group 1, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  • Patients who relapse during or < 6 months after completion of post-debulking chemotherapy
  • "Platinum sensitive" patients in second relapse after having been treated/rechallenged with their initial regimen upon first relapse

• Group 2 (Closed to accrual as of 3/10/06)

  • Patients who relapse ≥ 6 months after completion of post-debulking chemotherapy and are not retreated with the same or a different regimen
• No CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL* NOTE: *May be supported with transfusion, epoetin alfa, or darbepoetin alfa

Hepatic

• AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

• No cardiac arrhythmia
• No cardiac failure

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except non-melanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No diabetes
• No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• No baseline diarrhea (≥ 4 stools/day)
• No uncontrolled infection
• No other concurrent uncontrolled serious medical condition

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent routine colony-stimulating factors

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• Recovered from all prior therapy