Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of combination chemotherapy is more effective in treating patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of combining fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin in different ways in treating patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer.