Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal or appendiceal cancer

- Stage IV disease

- Peritoneal surface dissemination of disease (peritoneal carcinomatosis)

- Measurable disease according to RECIST criteria

- No active CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance > 60 mL/min

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

- Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- AST and ALT ≤ 3 times ULN

- No active infection or fever ≥ 101.3°F within the past 3 days

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell skin
cancer, cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia, or localized prostate cancer with a
current prostate-specific antigen of < 1.0 mg/dL on 2 successive evaluations, ≥ 3
months apart, with the last evaluation within the past 4 weeks

- No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2

- No other medical condition, mental illness, or substance abuse that, in the opinion
of the principal investigator, would preclude study compliance

- No known hypersensitivity to any component of oxaliplatin

- No known HIV positivity

- No hepatitis B or C positivity (active, previously treated, or both)

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients and their partners must use effective contraception during and for
90 days after completion of study treatment

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- Recovered from prior surgery, radiotherapy, and other anticancer therapies

- More than 30 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational therapy

- No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of bone marrow

- No prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation

- No concurrent antiretroviral therapy