OBJECTIVES:
* Determine the effect of captopril on the incidence of pulmonary damage at 12 months after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy in patients with stage II-IIIB non-small cell lung cancer, stage I central non-small cell lung cancer, or limited stage small cell lung cancer.
* Compare the quality of life of patients treated with captopril vs patients who undergo post-radiotherapy observation only.
* Determine the persistence of captopril's effect on pulmonary toxicity in these patients.
OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to participating center, total lung irradiated (\< 25% vs 25-37% vs more than 37%), prior surgery (yes vs no), and prior chemotherapy (yes vs no). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
* Arm I: Patients receive oral captopril 3 times daily for 1 year in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
* Arm II: Patients undergo observation only for 1 year. Quality of life is assessed at baseline and at months 3, 6, 12, and 18.
Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 205 patients will be accrued for this study within 18 months.
