DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed ovarian epithelial, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cavity cancer

  • Stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV disease

  • Optimal or suboptimal residual disease after debulking surgery within the past 12 weeks

    • Appropriate tissue for histologic evaluation available

• The following histologic epithelial cell types are eligible:

  • Serous adenocarcinoma
  • Endometrioid adenocarcinoma
  • Mucinous adenocarcinoma
  • Undifferentiated carcinoma
  • Clear cell adenocarcinoma
  • Mixed epithelial carcinoma
  • Transitional cell carcinoma
  • Malignant Brenner tumor
  • Adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified
  • Carcinosarcoma
• No ovarian epithelial carcinoma of low malignant potential (borderline carcinomas)

• No synchronous primary endometrial cancer or a history of primary endometrial cancer unless all of the following conditions are met:

  • Stage ≤ IB disease
  • No more than superficial myometrial invasion, without vascular or lymphatic invasion
  • No poorly differentiated subtypes, including papillary serous, clear cell, or other FIGO grade 3 lesion

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• GOG performance status 0-2
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• SGOT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Audiograms required after study chemotherapy courses 3 and 6 for patients with hearing loss, or who are experiencing tinnitus during study therapy
• Negative pregnancy test
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

• None of the following:

  • Septicemia
  • Severe infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
  • Malnutrition requiring parenteral hyperalimentation
  • Acute hepatitis
  • Any other major medical conditions expected to interfere with completion of protocol therapy
• No active bleeding
• No circumstances that would prohibit completion of study therapy or required follow-up
• No history of allergic reaction to polysorbate 80 (e.g., etoposide or vitamin E)
• No other invasive malignancies, except for nonmelanoma skin cancer or other specific malignancies within the past 5 years, or whose previous cancer treatment contraindicates this protocol therapy

• No unstable angina or myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

  • Abnormal cardiac conduction (e.g., bundle branch block or heart block) that has been stable for the past 6 months allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior chemotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy
• No prior hormonal therapy for the management of epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cavity cancer

• No prior targeted therapy for the management of ovarian epithelial or primary peritoneal cavity cancer including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Vaccines
  • Antibodies
  • Tyrosine kinase inhibitors