Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer

- Metastatic disease limited to the parenchyma of the liver

- Patients with limited sites of extrahepatic disease AND who have dominant
life-limiting disease in the liver are considered eligible provided the
extrahepatic sites can be treated with local ablative measures (e.g.,
resection or external beam radiotherapy)

- No other evidence of unresectable extrahepatic disease by radiological
studies

- Unresectable hepatic disease defined by > 3 sites of disease in the liver, bilobar
disease, or tumor abutting major vascular or ductal structures making anatomic
resection with liver function preservation impossible

- Measurable disease

- Refractory to prior first-line systemic chemotherapy

- Disease progression during or after completion of treatment with an irinotecan-
or oxaliplatin-containing regimen for established hepatic metastases

- Treatment failure is defined as disease progression evidenced by tumor
growth OR new lesions on imaging modalities OR increasing carcinoembryonic
antigen (CEA)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Hematocrit > 27.0%

- Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3

- WBC > 3,000/mm^3

Hepatic

- Bilirubin < 2.0 mg/dL

- PT ≤ 2 seconds of the upper limit of normal

- ALT and AST elevations secondary to metastatic disease allowed

- Chronic active hepatitis B or C allowed provided there is no evidence of cirrhosis on
pathology, radiologic studies, or physical exam

- No history of veno-occlusive disease

- No biopsy proven cirrhosis

- No evidence of significant portal hypertension manifested by ascites, esophageal
varices on endoscopy, or radiologic studies showing significant collateral vessels
around the organs drained by the portal venous system

- No other liver condition that would preclude study therapy

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR

- Creatinine clearance > 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

- LVEF ≥ 40%

- No ischemic cardiac disease

- No history of congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other chronic pulmonary disease allowed
provided pulmonary function test ≥ 50% of predicted

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- No active infection

- Weight > 30 kg

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy for the malignancy and recovered

Chemotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Endocrine therapy

- Not specified

Radiotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Surgery

- See Disease Characteristics

Other

- No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs

- No concurrent chronic anticoagulation therapy