Panitumumab, Chemotherapy, and External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer That Cannot be Removed by Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

  * Including subtotal resection and gross residual disease

    * No microscopic residual disease only
* Measurable disease is not required
* Disease is encompassable within standard radiotherapy fields for pancreatic cancer
* No evidence of metastatic disease outside of the planned radiotherapy field
* No cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas or pancreatic tumors of neuroendocrine origin
* No distant metastases (i.e., liver or lung metastases or peritoneal spread)
* No history or known presence of CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
* ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
* Total bilirubin ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)\* NOTE: \*Biliary stent placement or surgical bypass should be considered prior to treatment if impending bile duct obstruction by tumor
* AST ≤ 3 times ULN
* Creatinine ≤ 2.0 times ULN
* Magnesium normal
* Willing to return to an North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) institution for follow-up
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 6 months after treatment with panitumumab
* No prior or concurrent malignancy unless disease-free ≥ 3 years except for non-melanoma skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or organ confined prostate cancer with Gleason score \< 7
* No nausea or vomiting \> grade 1
* No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Psychiatric illness or social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
* No New York Heart Association clinically significant cardiovascular disease ≥ grade 2, including any of the following within the past year:

  * Myocardial infarction
  * Unstable angina
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Serious, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia
* No known HIV positivity
* No known hepatitis C virus or acute or chronic active hepatitis B infection
* Adequate oral nutrition

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* More than 21 days since prior laparotomy
* No prior anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody therapy (e.g., cetuximab)
* No prior small molecule EGFR inhibitors (e.g., gefitinib, erlotinib, or lapatinib)
* No prior radiotherapy that would overlap with planned radiotherapy fields
* No prior or other concurrent chemotherapy
* No prior or other concurrent biologic therapy
* More than 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent or planned participation in another experimental drug study except studies with specific interventions intended to treat rashes associated with EGFR agents (e.g., N05C4)
* No concurrent enteral hyperalimentation
* No concurrent chronic immunosuppressive agents (e.g., methotrexate, cyclosporine, or corticosteroids)
* No concurrent colony-stimulating factors during the first course of therapy
* No other concurrent immunotherapy or radiotherapy