Gemcitabine, Carboplatin or Paclitaxel Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIIA or IIIB Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of gemcitabine when administered with carboplatin and thoracic radiotherapy followed by adjuvant gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. * Determine the MTD of gemcitabine and paclitaxel when administered with thoracic radiotherapy followed by adjuvant gemcitabine and carboplatin in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, dose-escalation study of gemcitabine and paclitaxel. Patients are sequentially assigned to 1 of 3 treatment regimens. * Regimen A: Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 30-60 minutes on days 1, 8, 22, 29, and 43 and thoracic radiotherapy daily 5 days a week for 7 weeks beginning on day 1. * Regimen B (closed to accrual as of 5/13/03): Patients receive gemcitabine and thoracic radiotherapy as in regimen A and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, 22, 29, and 43. * Regimen C: Patients receive gemcitabine and thoracic radiotherapy as in regimen A and paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on days 1, 8, 22, 29, and 43. At 3 weeks after completion of chemoradiotherapy, all patients receive adjuvant gemcitabine IV over 30-60 minutes on days 71, 78, 92, and 99 and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on days 71 and 92. The first 6 patients enrolled receive regimen A to determine the safety of the initial dose of gemcitabine. After completion of regimen A, cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of gemcitabine in regimen B (closed to accrual as of 5/13/03) until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. In a separate sequence, cohorts of 3-6 patients receive alternating escalating doses of gemcitabine and paclitaxel in regimen C until the MTD is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which at least 3 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Patients are followed at 3 months, 6 months, every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A maximum of 78 patients will be accrued for this study within 29 months.