Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Stage IC-IV Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed ovarian epithelial, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer\*

  * Stage IC-IV disease
  * Peritoneal carcinomatosis\* (ovarian-type) must not be a mucin-secreting tumor
  * Stage IC patients must have malignant cells in ascitic fluid or peritoneal washings, tumor on the surface of the ovary, or preoperative capsule rupture NOTE: \* Histologic confirmation of a primary source in the ovary is not required.
* If biospy is not available, cytology showing an adenocarcinoma is allowed provided the following criteria is met:

  * Patient has a pelvis (ovarian) mass AND all of the following:

    * Omental cake or other metastasis is larger than 2 cm in the upper abdomen and/or regional lymph node metastasis irrespective of size OR stage IV disease
    * Serum CA 125/CEA ratio \> 25 or barium enema (or colonoscopy) and gastroscopy (or radiological examination of the stomach) are negative for the presence of a primary tumor and normal mammography within 6 weeks prior to study randomization
* Initial cytoreductive laparotomy or biopsy required within the past 8 weeks

  * Cytoreductive surgery may or may not have been successful during staging laparotomy
* No mixed mesodermal tumors
* No borderline ovarian tumors or tumors termed "possibly malignant"
* No adenocarcinoma of unknown origin, if histologically confirmed to be a mucin-secreting tumor
* Considered unsuitable for or unwilling to receive platinum-taxane combination therapy
* No concurrent endometrial cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* ECOG 0-3

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic

* Bilirubin normal
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN

Renal

* Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min

  * Obstructive hydronephrosis as a cause of borderline (i.e., creatinine clearance 30-45 mL/min) renal function must be treated before study entry

Cardiovascular

* No hypertension
* No ischemic heart disease
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* No congestive heart failure

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No uncontrolled infection
* No other severe and/or uncontrolled medical condition
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* No prior chemotherapy
* No other concurrent cytotoxic chemotherapy until progressive disease occurs

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* No prior radiotherapy

Surgery

* See Disease Characteristics