Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than one drug and giving them before and with radiation therapy may be an effective treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have limited-stage small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the complete response rate to 2 courses of paclitaxel and topotecan followed by consolidation chemoradiotherapy in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer. II. Determine the toxic effects of this regimen in this patient population. III. Describe the pattern of relapse, documenting carefully the location of relapse with respect to the original disease volume and the radiation treatment field in these patients. IV. Determine the overall and failure free survival of these patients. OUTLINE: Patients receive topotecan IV on days 1-5 and paclitaxel IV over 3 hours on day 1. Filgrastim (G-CSF) is administered subcutaneously every day starting on day 6 until blood counts recover. The course is repeated once beginning on day 22. After restaging, patients begin thoracic radiotherapy daily, five days per week, for 6-7 weeks. On the same day that radiotherapy begins, patients receive carboplatin IV over 1 hour (day 43) and etoposide IV over 1 hour daily for 3 days (days 43-45). The consolidation chemotherapy is repeated every 21 days for a total of 3 courses. Patients with stable or responding disease undergo prophylactic cranial irradiation. Patients are followed at least every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then at least every year. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 70 patients will be accrued for this study within 15-18 months.