Combination Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Endometrial Cancer

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the safety and maximum tolerated doses of paclitaxel and cisplatin when administered with radiotherapy in patients with stage III or IV endometrial cancer. II. Assess the time to disease progression and overall survival of patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of paclitaxel and cisplatin. Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour and cisplatin IV on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. Patients also undergo whole abdominal radiotherapy for 5 consecutive days weekly for 6 weeks. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of paclitaxel and cisplatin until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Once the MTD is determined, additional patients are treated at that dose level. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 3-48 patients will be accrued for part I and 14-20 patients will be accrued for part II of this study.