Two Regimens of Docetaxel in Treating Patients Who Have Not Received Chemotherapy For Unresectable Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• * Unresectable stage IIIB or IV disease
• No untreated brain or leptomeningeal metastases
• * Treated patients must be neurologically stable and the adverse effects from prior therapy must be resolved to grade 2 or less after the completion of treatment
• No symptomatic (i.e., requiring thoracentesis) pleural effusion
• No clinically significant (i.e., grade 3 or greater) pericardial effusion
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2 (70 years of age and over) OR
• ECOG 2 (under 70 years of age)
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin normal
• AST and ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) if alkaline phosphatase is no greater than ULN OR
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 4 times ULN if ALT and AST are no greater than ULN
• Renal
• Not specified
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 6 months after study participation
• No grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy
• No prior hypersensitivity reaction to taxanes or products containing polysorbate 80
• No other active malignancy except carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study treatment or follow-up
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• No prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• Recovered from prior radiotherapy (i.e., side effects resolved to grade 2 or less)
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• More than 3 weeks since prior major surgery
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior anticancer investigational drugs
• * Concurrent supportive care investigational agents allowed