Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed biliary tract cancer (including intrahepatic or
extrahepatic/hilar cholangiocarcinoma or muscle invasive gallbladder cancer or cancer
of the distal bile duct)

- Must have undergone a radical surgical approach which includes liver resection,
pancreatic resection, or less commonly both

- Patients with pathological evidence of microscopic involvement of the margins of
the excised specimen are eligible as long as resection is macroscopically
complete

- Must be able to start treatment within 12 weeks of surgery

- No pancreatic or periampullary cancer

- No mucosal gallbladder cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Urea < 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Creatinine < 1.5 times ULN

- Glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 mL/min (if < 60 mL/min, adequate renal function for
capecitabine must be confirmed by isotope EDTA)

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Bilirubin ≤ 3 times ULN

- ALT and AST ≤ 5 times ULN

- Adequate surgical biliary drainage with no evidence of infection

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test for women of childbearing age and childbearing potential

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during study treatment and for at
least 3 months after study treatment has ended

- Must provide written informed consent

- No history of other malignant diseases within the past 5 years other than adequately
treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or in situ carcinoma of the uterine cervix

- No serious co-existing medical condition likely to interfere with protocol treatment,
including a potential serious infection

- No evidence of significant clinical disorder or laboratory finding that makes it
undesirable for the patient to participate in the trial

- No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical factors considered likely
to preclude study compliance

- No other serious uncontrolled medical conditions

- No unresolved biliary tree obstruction

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- Completely recovered from prior surgery

- No use of other investigational agents within 28 days prior to and during study
treatment

- No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy for biliary tract cancer

- No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or investigational agent