Captopril in Treating Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer or Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Been Previously Treated With Radiation Therapy With or Without Chemotherapy

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• One of the following histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnoses:
• * Stage II-IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• * Stage I central NSCLC
• * No peripheral coin lesions
• * Limited stage small cell lung cancer
• * Nonmetastatic disease that is receiving radiotherapy and the target is confined to a single radiotherapy treatment area
• Planning to receive radiotherapy
• * At least 45 Gy to be delivered to the target volume
• * More than 25% of total lung volume to receive \> 20 Gy if receiving radiotherapy alone
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• Zubrod 0-1
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute granulocyte count greater than 1,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count greater than 75,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
• Serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) less than 2 times normal
• Renal
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) less than 25 mg/dL
• Creatinine less than 1.6 mg/dL
• Urine protein less than 10 mg/dL
• Urine glucose negative
• Cardiovascular
• Systolic blood pressure greater than 110 mm Hg
• Diastolic blood pressure greater than 60 mm Hg
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Sodium normal
• Potassium normal
• No collagen vascular disease (e.g., lupus or scleroderma)
• * Rheumatoid arthritis allowed
• No known hypersensitivity to ACE inhibitors
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• Induction or concurrent chemotherapy allowed either during radiotherapy or during therapy with captopril
• No concurrent methotrexate
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Surgery
• Prior pulmonary lobectomy or segmentectomy allowed
• * No prior pneumonectomy
• Other
• No concurrent angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor antagonists for hypertension or congestive heart failure
• No concurrent lithium
• No concurrent procainamide