Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin With or Without Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Cetuximab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with cetuximab is more effective than capecitabine and oxaliplatin in treating colorectal cancer.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with cetuximab works compared to capecitabine and oxaliplatin in treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.