Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

- Locally advanced or metastatic disease

- Not amenable to curative resection

- No invasion of adjacent organs (e.g., duodenum or stomach) by CT scan

- Unidimensionally measurable disease as assessed by CT in accordance with the Response
Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guidelines.

- No evidence of brain metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

- 18 and over

Performance status:

- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2

Life expectancy:

- Greater than 3 months

Hematopoietic:

- Granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

- Bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal

- Serum albumin > 26 g/litre

Renal:

- Creatinine ≤ 180 micromoles/litre OR

- Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

- No clinically significant cardiovascular disease

- No uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., blood pressure > 150/90 mm Hg on medication)

- No arterial thromboembolic event within the past 6 months, including any of the
following:

- Myocardial infarction

- Unstable angina pectoris

- Cerebrovascular accident

- Transient ischemic attack

- No New York Heart Association grade II-IV congestive heart failure

- No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication

OTHER:

- Not pregnant or breast feeding

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during study participation

- No serious or non-healing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture

- No infection requiring parenteral antibiotics

- No major bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy

- No significant traumatic injury within the past 28 days

- No surgery within the last 28 days or anticipation for the need for major surgery
during the course of study treatment

- No other active malignancy except non-melanoma skin cancer and cervical cancer
in-situ

- No history of known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency

- No lack of physical integrity of the upper gastro-intestinal tract, malabsorption
syndrome, or inability to take oral medication

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No previous chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other investigational drug treatment for
metastatic disease (including VEGF or EGFR antagonists)

- No previous preoperative or adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy or other
investigational drug treatment.

- No full dose anti-coagulation (i.e. warfarin or full dose low molecular weight
heparin) prior to starting study treatment.

- No ongoing treatment with aspirin (>325 mg/day) or other medications known to
predispose to gastrointestinal ulceration