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, and giving them after surgery, may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy, consisting of paclitaxel and cisplatin, given after surgery in treating patients with cancer of the esophagus or stomach.

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the disease free survival and overall survival of patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, or cardia receiving post-operative adjuvant paclitaxel plus cisplatin.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo esophagogastrectomies within 4-12 weeks prior to the study. Patients receive intravenous paclitaxel over 3 hours on day 1, followed by intravenous cisplatin. Treatment is repeated every 21 days for 4 courses. Patients exhibiting disease recurrence or unacceptable toxic effects are removed from the study. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for the next 3 years, and then every 12 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 55 patients will be accrued within 16 months.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastroesophageal junction or cardia T2N1, T3 any N, T4 any N, and negative margins Proximal and distal margins of resection must be negative No metastases Must be within 4-12 weeks from date of surgery and clinically without evidence of local-regional or distant recurrence

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance Status: ECOG 0-1 Life Expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm3 Platelet count at least 120,000/mm3 Hepatic: SGOT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Bilirubin no greater than 2 times ULN Renal: Creatinine within institutional normal limits Cardiovascular: No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease No symptomatic coronary artery disease No myocardial infarction within 6 months No clinically significant conduction system abnormalities such as second or third degree heart block or bundle branch block Neurologic: No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy No psychosis Other: Not pregnant or nursing Effective contraceptive method must be used by fertile patients No significant hearing loss No concurrent uncontrolled infection or medical illness No concurrent malignancies within 3 years, except: Nonmelanoma skin cancer Carcinoma in situ of the cervix No history of allergy to drugs containing cremophor No hypersensitivity to E. coli derived proteins

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No concurrent immunotherapy Chemotherapy: No prior chemotherapy No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No prior radiotherapy No concurrent radiotherapy Surgery: See Disease Characteristics