Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma meeting the
following criteria:

- Stage IV disease OR stage III disease that was re-staged as metastatic disease
at time of surgery

- Unresectable disease

- Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by
conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

- No CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 70-100%

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

- Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Bilirubin normal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

- Alkaline phosphatase (AP), AST, and ALT must meet 1 of the following criteria:

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

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

- AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST and ALT normal

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

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

- No peripheral neuropathy > grade 1

- No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to platinum agents (e.g., cisplatin or
carboplatin), fluoropyrimidines, or drugs formulated with polysorbate 80

- No concurrent serious illness that would preclude study treatment or compliance

- No active infections requiring intravenous antibiotic therapy

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for cervical carcinoma in situ,
breast ductal carcinoma in situ, colonic polyp, or squamous cell or basal cell
carcinoma of the skin

- No clinically significant uncontrolled cardiac disease (e.g., congestive heart
failure, symptomatic coronary artery disease, or cardiac arrhythmias) or myocardial
infarction within the past 12 months

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No prior radiotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma

- No prior chemotherapy for metastatic gastric carcinoma

- Prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy allowed if
completed therapy at least 12 months before study enrollment

- Chemotherapy may have included taxane, platinum, or fluoropyrimidine-based
regimen

- At least 2 months since prior surgery and recovered

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies