Irinotecan With or Without Panitumumab or Cyclosporine in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer That Did Not Respond to Fluorouracil

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  * Previous or current histologically confirmed primary adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum and clinical/radiological evidence of advanced or metastatic disease
  * Histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic adenocarcinoma with clinical or radiological evidence of colorectal primary tumor
* Unidimensionally measurable disease
* Disease progression during or after prior fluorouracil with or without oxaliplatin therapy and/or with or without bevacizumab

  * Adjuvant therapy and/or prior therapy for advanced disease allowed
* No clinical or radiological evidence of pleural effusion or ascites causing ≥ grade 2 dyspnea
* No clinical or radiological evidence of biliary obstruction
* No known CNS metastases or carcinomatous meningitis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* WHO performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
* Hemoglobin \> 10.0 g/dL
* WBC \> 3,000/mm³
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm³
* Glomerular filtration rate \> 50 mL/min OR EDTA clearance \> 60 mL/min
* Bilirubin \< 1.46 mg/dL
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* No history of Gilbert's syndrome
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 6 months after completion of study treatment
* Capable of completing quality of life questionnaires
* No prior anaphylactic allergic reaction to cetuximab
* No other prior or concurrent cancer (excluding nonmelanomatous skin cancer)
* No unresolved bowel obstruction, uncontrolled gastrointestinal infection, chronic enteropathy (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), or chronic diarrhea (≥ 4 stools per day) of any cause
* No recent history of seizures
* No clinical or radiological evidence of interstitial pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis,
* Capable of reliable oral self-medication
* No other condition that would make the patient unsuitable for participation in this study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No major thoracic or abdominal surgery within the past 4 weeks
* No systemic anticancer therapy within the past 3 weeks
* No prior irinotecan hydrochloride
* No grapefruit juice within 3 days before and after each chemotherapy treatment
* No experimental drug therapy or antibody therapy, other than cetuximab, within the past 6 weeks
* No systemic chemotherapy and/or cetuximab within the past 3 weeks
* No antifungals or antibiotics within the past 5 days
* No ongoing requirement for cyclosporine or any other medication including, but not limited to, the following:

  * Ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole
  * Erythromycin, clarithromycin, norfloxacin
  * Diltiazem hydrochloride, verapamil, amiodarone hydrochloride
  * Fluvoxamine