Isolated Hepatic Perfusion With Melphalan in Treating Patients With Unresectable Colorectal Cancer That Has Metastasized to the Liver

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer

  * Metastatic disease limited to the parenchyma of the liver

    * Patients with limited sites of extrahepatic disease AND who have dominant life-limiting disease in the liver are considered eligible provided the extrahepatic sites can be treated with local ablative measures (e.g., resection or external beam radiotherapy)
    * No other evidence of unresectable extrahepatic disease by radiological studies
* Unresectable hepatic disease defined by \> 3 sites of disease in the liver, bilobar disease, or tumor abutting major vascular or ductal structures making anatomic resection with liver function preservation impossible
* Measurable disease
* Refractory to prior first-line systemic chemotherapy

  * Disease progression during or after completion of treatment with an irinotecan- or oxaliplatin-containing regimen for established hepatic metastases

    * Treatment failure is defined as disease progression evidenced by tumor growth OR new lesions on imaging modalities OR increasing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Hematocrit \> 27.0%
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* WBC \> 3,000/mm\^3

Hepatic

* Bilirubin \< 2.0 mg/dL
* PT ≤ 2 seconds of the upper limit of normal
* ALT and AST elevations secondary to metastatic disease allowed
* Chronic active hepatitis B or C allowed provided there is no evidence of cirrhosis on pathology, radiologic studies, or physical exam
* No history of veno-occlusive disease
* No biopsy proven cirrhosis
* No evidence of significant portal hypertension manifested by ascites, esophageal varices on endoscopy, or radiologic studies showing significant collateral vessels around the organs drained by the portal venous system
* No other liver condition that would preclude study therapy

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR
* Creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

* LVEF ≥ 40%
* No ischemic cardiac disease
* No history of congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other chronic pulmonary disease allowed provided pulmonary function test ≥ 50% of predicted

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* No active infection
* Weight \> 30 kg

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy for the malignancy and recovered

Chemotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Surgery

* See Disease Characteristics

Other

* No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs
* No concurrent chronic anticoagulation therapy