Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of
the colon or rectum

- Evidence of at least 1 site of unidimensionally measurable disease by radiography or
physical examination

- Failed 1 prior treatment with a fluoropyrimidine in combination with either
irinotecan OR oxaliplatin for advanced or metastatic disease

- No known CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if hepatic metastases are present)

- Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

- No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure

- No QTc > 450 msec for males or > 470 msec for females

- No personal or family history of congenital long QT syndrome

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception

- No pre-existing neuropathy grade 2 or greater

- No documented grade 3 or 4 hypersensitivity reaction to prior therapy containing
Cremophor

- No infection requiring parenteral or oral anti-infective treatment

- No altered mental status or psychiatric condition that would preclude giving informed
consent

- No other medical condition that would preclude study participation

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except cured basal cell skin cancer,
carcinoma in situ of the cervix or bladder, or stage T1 or T2 prostate cancer with a
prostate-specific antigen < 2 ng/mL

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- No concurrent sargramostim (GM-CSF)

- No concurrent routine prophylactic use of filgrastim (G-CSF)

Chemotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered

Endocrine therapy

- Not specified

Radiotherapy

- At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

- At least 3 weeks since prior surgery and recovered

Other

- More than 3 weeks since prior investigational agents (therapeutic or diagnostic)

- No other concurrent therapy for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer

- No other concurrent investigational drugs