DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Pathologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  • Primary or recurrent locally advanced cervical, vaginal, or vulvar cancers not amenable to curative surgical resection

  • Recurrent or persistent ovarian epithelial or endometrial cancer meeting all of the following criteria:

    • Not amenable to curative surgical resection alone
    • Planning to undergo pelvic radiotherapy
    • Amenable to tumor biopsy through the vaginal canal
• Patients with metastatic disease to extrapelvic sites are eligible provided pelvic radiotherapy is planned as the primary management of the site of pelvic disease
• Measurable disease, defined as at least 1 unidimesionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional methods or ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan (for patients relapsing ≥ 4 weeks after prior initial surgery or chemotherapy)
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2 OR Karnofsky PS 50-100%
• Life expectancy > 3 months
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• PT/aPTT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (for patients receiving 3-AP alone with pelvic radiotherapy)
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR 1.5-1.9 mg/dL AND creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min (for patients receiving cisplatin)
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must agree to use effective contraception

• No other uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  • Ongoing or active infection
  • Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • Unstable angina pectoris
  • Cardiac arrhythmia
  • Known inadequately controlled hypertension
  • Significant pulmonary disease, including dyspnea at rest
  • Requirement for supplemental oxygen
  • Poor pulmonary reserve
  • Proteinuria or clinically significant renal function impairment (baseline creatinine > 2 mg/dL)
  • Psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No history of allergic reactions to study drugs or to compounds with similar chemical or biological composition to 3-AP
• No poor vascular access that would preclude intravenous chemotherapies (e.g., due to hemodialysis)
• No known glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency
• No other prior malignancy unless in remission for ≥ 6 months and not currently being treated
• No other active malignancy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from prior therapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosourea or mitomycin C)
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior anticancer treatment that would preclude study participation
• No prior low abdominal or pelvic radiotherapy that would preclude study treatment
• No concurrent epoetin alfa
• No concurrent antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive patients
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies for this malignancy
• No other concurrent investigational agents