Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum

- Unresectable disease

- Metastatic or recurrent disease

- Not amenable to potentially curative treatment

- No untreated leptomeningeal or brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Performance status

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 2,000/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- No known uncontrolled coagulopathy

Hepatic

- AST and ALT < 2.5 times upper limits of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases
are present)

- Bilirubin < 2.0 times ULN

Renal

- Creatinine clearance > 40 mL/min

- Urine protein negative

- Urine protein:creatinine ratio > 1

Cardiovascular

- No unstable or uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., blood pressure [BP] > 150/100 mm Hg
despite antihypertensive therapy)

- Patients who recently started or have adjusted antihypertensive medications are
eligible provided BP is < 140/90 mm Hg for ≥ 3 different measurements over 14
days

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

- Transient ischemic attack

- Cerebrovascular accident

- Unstable angina

- Myocardial infarction

- Clinically significant peripheral vascular disease

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

- No uncontrolled symptomatic coronary artery disease or cardiac arrhythmia

- No other significant uncontrolled cardiac disease

Gastrointestinal

- No lack of physical integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract

- No malabsorption syndrome

- No inability to tolerate oral medication

Immunologic

- No prior severe infusion reaction to a monoclonal antibody

- No history of an allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or
biologic composition to oxaliplatin, cetuximab, capecitabine, or bevacizumab

- No prior unanticipated, severe reaction to fluoropyrimidine therapy or known
hypersensitivity to fluoroucacil

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during the study and for 3-4 months
after completion of study treatment

- No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma
skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

- No known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- No prior adjuvant bevacizumab or cetuximab

- No other concurrent anticancer immunotherapy or biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

- At least 6 months since a prior adjuvant fluorouracil-, leucovorin calcium-, or
capecitabine-based regimen

- At least 12 months since prior adjuvant oxaliplatin

- No prior chemotherapy for metastatic or recurrent disease

Endocrine therapy

- No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

- No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

- More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered

- More than 6 months since vascular surgery, stenting, or angioplasty

Other

- At least 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent sorivudine or brivudine

- More than 4 weeks since prior participation in any investigational drug study

- No prior therapy that affects or targets the epidermal growth factor pathway

- No concurrent cimetidine

- Concurrent ranitidine, famotidine, or proton-pump inhibitors allowed

- Concurrent anticoagulation therapy with full-dose anticoagulant allowed provided dose
is stable for at least 2 weeks