OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the maximum tolerated dose of docetaxel and oxaliplatin in patients with stage III or IV ovarian epithelial cancer. * Determine the toxicity of this regimen in these patients. Secondary * Determine the tolerance profile of patients treated with this regimen. * Determine a recommended phase III dose of this regimen in these patients. * Determine the efficacy of this regimen, in terms of objective response rate and radiological and biological response rate (CA 125), in these patients. * Determine the complete pathological response in patients treated with this regimen as first-line therapy. * Determine the duration of the objective response in patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the time to progression in patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation, multicenter study. Patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed monthly for 3 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 30-39 patients will be accrued for this study.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed ovarian epithelial cancer * Stage III or IV disease * Metastatic peritoneal, lymphatic, or visceral disease * Measurable or evaluable disease * Previously untreated disease OR relapsed disease more than 6 months after the completion of a platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen * No symptomatic brain metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 to 75 Performance status * WHO 0-2 (0 in patients 70 to 75 years of age) Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin no greater than 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST and ALT no greater than 3 times ULN * Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.5 times ULN Renal * Creatinine no greater than 1.4 mg/dL Other * No serious uncontrolled infection * No intolerance to polysorbate 80 * No peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1 * No neurological or mental disease that would preclude study participation * No other prior malignancy except curatively treated basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * Not specified Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen * No prior oxaliplatin or docetaxel Endocrine therapy * Not specified Radiotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy Surgery * Not specified Other * More than 28 days since prior participation in another clinical study * No other concurrent anticancer treatment