Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Persistent Endometrial Carcinoma (Cancer)

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well docetaxel works in treating patients with recurrent or persistent endometrial carcinoma (cancer).

OBJECTIVES:

* Determine the antitumor activity of docetaxel in patients with recurrent or persistent endometrial carcinoma.
* Determine the toxicity of this drug in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour on days 1, 8, and 15. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 3 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 19-51 patients will be accrued for this study within 10-18 months.

Eligibility Criteria:
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed endometrial carcinoma

  * Recurrent or persistent disease
  * Refractory to curative or standard therapy
* Measurable disease

  * At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
  * At least 1 target lesion

    * Tumors within a previously irradiated field are not considered target lesions
* Received 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for endometrial carcinoma, including high-dose, consolidation, or extended therapy administered after surgical or non-surgical assessment

  * One additional non-cytotoxic regimen for recurrent or persistent disease allowed, including monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, and small-molecule inhibitors of signal transduction
* Ineligible for a higher priority GOG protocol

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* Any age

Performance status

* GOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic

* SGOT ≤ 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

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No neuropathy (sensory and motor) ≥ grade 2
* No active infection requiring antibiotics
* No other invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 3 weeks since prior biologic or immunologic therapy for malignant tumor
* No concurrent prophylactic growth factors
* No concurrent prophylactic thrombopoietic agents

Chemotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from prior chemotherapy
* No more than 1 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen (single or combination cytotoxic drugs)

Endocrine therapy

* At least 1 week since prior hormonal therapy for malignant tumor
* Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed

Radiotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from prior radiotherapy

Surgery

* Recovered from prior surgery

Other

* At least 3 weeks since other prior therapy for malignant tumor
* No prior anticancer therapy that would preclude current protocol therapy
* No concurrent amifostine or other protective reagents