Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery or Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Compare the overall survival of patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer treated with surgery with or without radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone after achieving a response to a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen containing cisplatin or carboplatin. * Compare the progression-free survival of patients treated with these regimens. * Compare the toxic effects of these regimens in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to participating center, response to induction chemotherapy (complete vs partial vs minor), and histological subtype (squamous vs nonsquamous). All patients receive 3 courses of induction combination chemotherapy comprising cisplatin or carboplatin in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with complete or partial response (or minor response if disease has become resectable) are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I: Within 6 weeks of randomization, patients undergo radical lobectomy or pneumonectomy plus dissection of the hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. Patients with positive resection margins of at least 1 cm and/or positive mediastinal nodes undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 5.5 weeks. Patients with postresection subclinical/microscopic disease with negative tumor margins undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 4-4.5 weeks. * Arm II: Within 6 weeks of randomization, patients undergo primary radiotherapy. Patients with subclinical/microscopic disease with negative tumor margins undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 4-4.5 weeks. Patients with gross tumor volume and tumor margins at least 1 cm undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 640 patients will be accrued for this study within 8 years.