DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed uveal melanoma

  • Unresectable, metastatic disease
• Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension as ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

• Brain metastasis allowed provided the following criteria are met:

  • Definitively treated with radiotherapy or surgical resection
  • Stable disease as demonstrated by repeat MRI or head CT scans 4 weeks after completion of definitive therapy
  • No requirement for decadron

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-1
• Life expectancy > 6 months
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
• Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL (indirect bilirubin ≤ 4.0 mg/dL for patients with Gilbert's disease)
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN (unless bone metastasis is present in the absence of liver metastasis)
• Creatinine ≤ 1.8 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance > 50 mL/min
• Calcium < 12 mg/dL (corrected for serum albumin)
• Not pregnant
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV-negative
• Hepatitis B- or C-negative
• No prior malignancy except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, in situ cervical cancer, or other cancer for which the patient has been disease free for 2 years
• No serious infections or other major uncontrolled medical illnesses
• No significant psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the principal investigator, would preclude adequate informed consent or render study therapy unsafe
• No peripheral neuropathy > grade 2

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than one prior systemic therapy
• Prior taxanes allowed provided there is disease progression > 12 months after completion of treatment
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery and recovered

• At least 4 months since prior chemoembolization or embolization of the liver

  • Disease must be present outside the embolized region of the liver for evaluation
• No other concurrent investigational agents