Cisplatin, Etoposide, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically or cytologically confirmed small cell carcinoma of the lung by fine needle aspiration biopsy or two positive sputa
• •Must have limited disease
• •* Stage I, II, IIIA, or IIIB
• •* Confined to 1 hemithorax, but excluding the following:
• •* T4 tumor based on malignant pleural effusion
• •* N3 disease based on contralateral hilar or contralateral supraclavicular involvement
• •No pericardial or pleural effusions on chest x-ray (regardless of cytology)
• •Measurable or evaluable disease
• •Tumor must be able to be encompassed by limited radiotherapy fields without significantly compromising pulmonary function
• •No prior complete tumor resection
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 to 100
• •Performance status
• •Zubrod 0-1
• •Life expectancy
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic
• •Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count at least 150,000/mm\^3
• •Hepatic
• •Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• •Renal
• •Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• •Cardiovascular
• •No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• •No symptomatic heart disease
• •Pulmonary
• •No chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV)-1 no greater than 0.8 liter
• •No uncontrolled bronchospasm in the unaffected lung
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •Available for follow-up
• •No other malignancy within the past 2 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or non-invasive in situ malignancies
• •No other concurrent serious medical illness
• •No uncontrolled psychiatric illness
• •No chronic alcohol or drug abuse
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •No prior chemotherapy
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •No prior radiotherapy to the chest or other area containing a large amount of bone marrow (e.g., more than 75% of pelvic bone)
• •Surgery
• •See Disease Characteristics