Docetaxel With or Without Phenoxodiol in Treating Patients With Recurrent Advanced Ovarian Epithelial Cancer, Fallopian Tube Cancer, or Primary Peritoneal Cavity Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following: * Ovarian epithelial cancer * Fallopian tube cancer * Primary peritoneal cavity cancer * Recurrent advanced disease * Eligible for second-line to fifth-line chemotherapy * Received platinum and taxane combination chemotherapy as first-line treatment with disease recurrence \> 6 months after conclusion of therapy * No demonstrated refractoriness or resistance to weekly docetaxel * Meets 1 of the following criteria: * Doubling of blood levels of CA125 in the past 6 months and CA125 levels ≥ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Measurable disease defined as ≥ 1 lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques or ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan * No active CNS metastases * Prior CNS metastases allowed provided they were treated with radiation therapy and disease has been stable for 4 weeks PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Karnofsky performance score ≥ 60% * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment * Life expectancy ≥ 3 months * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Transaminases ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Bilirubin normal * Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3 * WBC \> 3,000/mm\^3 * Neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL * Peripheral neuropathy ≤ grade 1 * Relative proportions of AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase according 1 to the following criteria: * Alkaline phosphatase (AP) normal AND AST/ALT ≤ 5 times ULN * AP ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST/ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN * AP ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST/ALT normal * No active infection * No concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical disease (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or congestive heart failure) * No history of chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis * No history of severe hypersensitivity to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80 PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * No investigational agents within 4 weeks prior to study entry * Recovered from prior antineoplastic therapy * No other concurrent investigational drugs * No other concurrent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or hormonal antitumor therapy * Concurrent localized radiation therapy allowed for control of local disease complications (e.g., bone metastases) that do not represent a general progression of the disease status * No concurrent grapefruit or grapefruit juice * No concurrent amifostine