Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated Stage II or Stage III Esophageal Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin, floxuridine, docetaxel, and leucovorin, 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. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with previously untreated stage II or stage III esophageal cancer that can be removed by surgery.