Pyridoxine in Preventing Hand-Foot Syndrome in Patients Who Are Receiving Liposomal Doxorubicin for Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of 1 of the following:

• Recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cavity cancer

• Metastatic breast cancer

• Advanced endometrial cancer

• Planning to receive chemotherapy with doxorubicin HCl liposome at a dose of 40 mg/m^2

• Hormone receptor status:

• Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Sex

• Not specified

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Performance status

• Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic

• AST and ALT ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times ULN

• Bilirubin normal

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• Ejection fraction ≥ 50% by MUGA or 2-D echocardiogram

• No history of cardiac disease

• No New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease

• No clinical evidence of congestive heart failure

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing

• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment

• No active infection requiring antibiotics

• No history of hypersensitivity reaction attributed to a conventional formulation of doxorubicin HCl or doxorubicin HCl liposome and any of its components

• No other invasive malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma or basal cell skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• At least 3 weeks since prior biologic or immunologic agents for this cancer

Chemotherapy

• Recovered from prior chemotherapy

• Alopecia or neuropathy allowed

• No prior doxorubicin HCl liposome

• Other concurrent chemotherapy allowed provided palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia is not one of the side effects of the therapy

• No concurrent cytarabine, fluorouracil, liposomal daunorubicin, or capecitabine

• No concurrent pre-medication with corticosteroids as part of the chemotherapy regimen

Endocrine therapy

• See Chemotherapy

• At least 3 weeks since prior and no concurrent oral or topical corticosteroids

• At least 1 week since prior hormonal therapy for this cancer

• Concurrent hormone replacement therapy allowed

Radiotherapy

• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy for this cancer and recovered

Surgery

• Recovered from prior surgery

Other

• At least 3 weeks since prior and no other concurrent forms of pyridoxine except what is included in a multivitamin

• No prior anticancer treatment that contraindicates study treatment

• No concurrent amifostine or other protective agents