Gemcitabine With or Without Oxaliplatin in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as gemcitabine and oxaliplatin use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug and giving them in different ways may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether gemcitabine is more effective with or without oxaliplatin in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of gemcitabine with or without oxaliplatin in treating patients who have locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.