Vaccine Therapy, Cyclophosphamide, and Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas
• Mixed adenocarcinoma tumors eligible provided the predominant invasive component of the tumor is adenocarcinoma
• The following histologic diagnoses are not eligible:
• Adenosquamous
• Squamous cell
• Colloid
• Islet cell
• Serous or mucinous cystadenoma or cystadenocarcinoma
• Carcinoid
• Small or large cell carcinoma
• Intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasms
• Osteoclast-like giant cell tumors
• Acinar cell carcinoma
• Pancreatoblastoma
• Solid pseudopapillary tumors
• Undifferentiated small cell carcinoma
• Nonepithelial tumors (sarcoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, lymphoma)
• Adenocarcinomas of the ampulla, distal bile duct, or duodenum
• Metastatic or locally advanced disease that is refractory to standard therapy OR for which patient refused standard therapy
• Measurable disease defined as ≥ 1 lesion unidimensionally measured as ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques or ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• No nonmeasurable disease only including, but not limited to, the following:
• Bone lesions
• Leptomeningeal disease
• Ascites
• Pleural or pericardial effusion
• Inflammatory breast disease
• Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
• Abdominal masses that are not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
• Cystic lesions
• No known active or untreated brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-1
• WBC ≥ 3,500/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 90,000/mm^3
• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL
• ALT and AST ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN
• No active infection
• No uncontrolled medical condition that would potentially increase the risk of toxicities or complications of study therapy
• No gastrointestinal tract disease resulting in an inability to take oral medication or a requirement for IV alimentation
• No active peptic ulcer disease
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 weeks after completion of study treatment
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for nonmelanomatous skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• HIV negative
• No active autoimmune disease or prior autoimmune disease requiring medical treatment with systemic immunosuppressants including any of the following:
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Systemic vasculitis
• Scleroderma
• Psoriasis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Hemolytic anemia or immune thrombocytopenia
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Sjögren's syndrome
• Sarcoidosis
• Asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that does not require systemic corticosteroids or routine use of inhaled steroids allowed
• No known or suspected hypersensitivity to sargramostim (GM-CSF), cyclophosphamide, pentastarch, corn, or DMSO
• No prior severe infusion reaction (> grade 3) to a monoclonal antibody

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 1 month since prior adjuvant chemotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior surgery except for minor procedures (e.g., dental work, skin biopsy) and biliary stent placement
• No prior surgical procedures affecting absorption
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• More than 1 month since prior participation in an investigational new drug study
• No unresolved chronic toxicity (except alopecia) from prior anticancer therapy
• More than 28 days since prior systemic steroids
• No concurrent systemic steroids or immunosuppressive drugs
• Topical, inhaled, and intra-articular steroids allowed
• No other concurrent anticancer vaccine therapy
• No other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, gene therapy, biologic therapy, or investigational therapy