DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

  • Advanced, unresectable disease
• Must have failed OR refused prior standard chemotherapy (e.g., gemcitabine or fluorouracil) for pancreatic cancer
• Measurable disease by radiography
• No primary CNS tumors or known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• Over 18

Performance status

• Karnofsky 50-100%

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• WBC ≥ 3,500/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.5 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 4.0 mg/dL (stents allowed)
• PT or INR ≤ 2 seconds over control OR ≤ 1.8 (unless on warfarin)

Renal

• BUN ≤ 30 mg/dL (hydrated)
• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• No congestive heart failure
• No symptoms of coronary artery disease
• No cardiac arrhythmia
• No poorly controlled hypertension
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No abnormal EKG
• No other unstable cardiovascular disease
• Pulse 60-110 beats/minute
• Systolic blood pressure 90-170 mm Hg

Pulmonary

• No asthma
• No chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Sodium ≥ 130 mmol/L
• Potassium ≥ 3.2 mmol/L
• No serious infection requiring antibiotics within the past 2 weeks

• No poorly controlled diabetes

  • Glucose 60-300 mg/dL
• No seizure disorders
• No fever > 37.8° C
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Prior biologic therapy allowed

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent oral steroids

  • Concurrent topical steroids for dermatologic conditions allowed
  • Concurrent inhaled steroids for asthma allowed

Radiotherapy

• Prior radiotherapy allowed
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• At least 4 weeks since prior significant surgery and recovered
• Prior Whipple procedure allowed

Other

• No other concurrent antitumor medication
• No other concurrent immunosuppressive agents (e.g., azathioprine)