3-AP and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• •* Metastatic disease
• •Progressive disease after no more than 2 prior cytotoxic regimens containing at least 1 of the following drugs:
• •* Cisplatin
• •* Carboplatin
• •* Taxane
• •* Vinorelbine
• •Measurable disease
• •No CNS metastases
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 and over
• •Performance status
• •ECOG 0-1
• •Life expectancy
• •More than 3 months
• •Hematopoietic
• •Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• •Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
• •Hepatic
• •Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •ALT and AST no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
• •Chronic viral hepatitis allowed
• •Renal
• •Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •Cardiovascular
• •No myocardial infarction within the past 3 months
• •No uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• •No uncontrolled coronary artery disease
• •No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmias
• •Pulmonary
• •No dyspnea at rest
• •No supplemental oxygen dependence
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• •No active infection
• •No other prior or concurrent malignancy except carcinoma in situ of the cervix previously treated by cone biopsy and/or resection, nonmetastatic basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or any stage I malignancy curatively resected more than 5 years ago
• •No other concurrent life-threatening illness
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Prior non-cytotoxic biologic regimens allowed (e.g., vaccines, antibodies, cytokines, or small molecule cell signaling inhibitors)
• •Chemotherapy
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •More than 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered
• •No prior gemcitabine
• •No prior 3-AP
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• •Surgery
• •More than 3 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
• •Other
• •More than 3 weeks since prior non-cytotoxic regimens