Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

- Advanced disease

- No standard curative therapy available

- Must have received prior first-line chemotherapy

- No brain metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- WHO performance status 0-2

- Life expectancy ≥ 8 weeks

- ANC ≥ 1.5 x 10^9/ L

- Platelet count ≥ 130 x 10^9/ L

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

- Liver transaminases ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (≤ 5 times ULN in the
presence of liver metastases)

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

- Creatinine ≤ 130 mmol/L OR creatinine clearance > 30 mL/min

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No intolerance or hypersensitivity to any of the drugs being tested

- No history of interstitial lung disease

- No history of severe cardiac disease

- No serious uncontrolled infection

- No rare hereditary disorders, i.e., galactosemia, lactase deficiency, or
malabsorption of glucose or galactose syndrome

- Must not be deprived of liberty or under guardianship

- Must not be on probation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- No prior erlotinib hydrochloride

- No concurrent potent inducers or inhibitors of cytochrome P450 or CYP3A4

- More than 14 days since participation in another clinical trial