Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed metastatic or surgically unresectable solid tumor meeting 1
of the following criteria:

- Any solid tumor (Phase I)

- Adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction (Phase II)

- Unidimensionally measurable disease by CT scan or MRI

- No uncontrolled brain metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-1

- ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Total bilirubin normal

- Meets 1 of the following criteria:

- Alkaline phosphatase (AP) normal AND AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN

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

- AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST or 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 preexisting neuropathy

- No concurrent uncontrolled illness or other condition that would preclude study
compliance

- No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or to other drugs
formulated with polysorbate 80

- No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or
biologic composition to agents used in this study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- Recovered from prior therapy

- More than 4 weeks since prior therapy (Phase I)

- No prior oxaliplatin or taxanes (Phase I)

- More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy (Phase I)

- No more than two prior therapies for metastatic disease (Phase I)

- No prior therapy for metastatic disease (Phase II)

- At least 6 months since prior adjuvant therapy (given prior to the occurrence of
metastatic disease) (Phase II)

- Prior fluorouracil and concurrent radiotherapy for palliation of the primary tumor
allowed provided metastatic disease is present outside the radiotherapy field (Phase
II)

- No prior radiotherapy to ≥ 30% of bone marrow

- No other concurrent investigational agents