Inclusion Criteria:

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Diagnosis of 1 of the following:

- Ovarian epithelial adenocarcinoma

- Fallopian tube cancer

- Peritoneal cavity cancer

- Recurrent or persistent disease after no more than 2 prior treatment regimens (1
regimen for primary disease and/or 1 regimen for recurrent disease)

- Platinum-resistant disease, defined as 1 of the following:

- Treatment-free interval < 6 months after platinum-based therapy

- Disease progression during platinum-based therapy

- Measurable disease by physical exam, chest x-ray, CT scan, or MRI

- No brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Gynecologic Oncology Group performance status 0-2

- Life expectancy > 6 months

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL

- Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min

- Bilirubin normal

- AST or ALT and alkaline phosphatase (AP) meeting 1 of the following criteria:

- AST or ALT ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) AND AP normal

- AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN AND AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN

- AST or ALT normal AND AP ≤ 5 times ULN

- No peripheral neuropathy > grade 2

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 6 months after
completion of study treatment

- No other concurrent malignancy except for curatively treated nonmelanoma skin cancer

- No prior invasive malignancy < 5 years after curative therapy

- No serious uncontrolled medical or psychiatric illness that would preclude study
participation or limit survival to < 6 months

- No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to drugs formulated with polysorbate
80 or to fluoropyrimidine therapy or fluorouracil

- No inability to tolerate oral medication due to bowel obstruction, lack of physical
integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract, inability to swallow, or malabsorption
syndrome

- No serious concurrent infections

- No clinically significant cardiac disease not well controlled with medication,
including any of the following:

- Congestive heart failure

- Symptomatic coronary artery disease

- Symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias

- Myocardial infarction within the past 12 months

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- No prior docetaxel or capecitabine or other fluoropyrimidine therapy

- Recovered from prior therapy

- At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiotherapy

- No other concurrent chemotherapeutic agents, biological therapy, radiotherapy, or
other investigational agents