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RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as FR901228, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well FR901228 works in treating patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVES: * Determine the confirmed response (complete and partial) in patients with previously treated unresectable locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer treated with FR901228 (depsipeptide). * Determine the time to treatment failure and overall survival of patients treated with this drug. * Determine the qualitative and quantitative toxic effects of this drug in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive FR901228 (depsipeptide) IV over 4 hours on days 1, 8, and 15. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed every 8 weeks until disease progression and then every 3 months until 1 year after study entry and then every 6 months until 3 years after study entry. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 20-40 patients will be accrued for this study within 4-10 months.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer meeting 1 of the following criteria: * Locally advanced unresectable disease * Distant metastatic disease * Measurable disease * Previously treated with at least 1, but no more than 2, prior chemotherapy regimens for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic disease * May have included irinotecan or oxaliplatin * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen (not oxaliplatin-based) for advanced or metastatic disease if previously treated with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy * No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen (not irinotecan-based) for advanced or metastatic disease if previously treated with irinotecan-based adjuvant chemotherapy * No known brain metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * Over 18 Performance status * Zubrod 0-1 Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN) * SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times ULN Renal * Creatinine ≤ ULN Cardiovascular * No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure * No myocardial infarction within the past year * No uncontrolled dysrhythmias * No poorly controlled angina * No prior serious ventricular arrhythmia (e.g., ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row) * No left ventricular hypertrophy * QTc \< 500 msec * No other significant cardiac disease Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix * No prior allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to FR901228 PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No concurrent anticancer immunotherapy Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 28 days since prior chemotherapy and recovered * No prior FR901228 (depsipeptide) * No other concurrent anticancer chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * No concurrent anticancer hormonal therapy Radiotherapy * At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered * No concurrent anticancer radiotherapy Surgery * At least 28 days since prior surgery and recovered Other * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No concurrent agent that causes QTc prolongation * No concurrent hydrochlorothiazide * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent drugs that have histone deacetylase inhibitor activity (e.g., valproic acid) * No other concurrent anticancer therapy