Epothilone D in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Not Responded to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• * Stage IIIB\* or IV disease NOTE: \*Due to malignant pleural effusion or supraclavicular lymph node involvement only
• Previously treated with maximally feasible surgical resection and/or radiotherapy for initial disease
• Failed 1 prior platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen for advanced or metastatic disease due to disease progression or treatment toxicity
• At least 1 site of unidimensionally measurable disease by physical exam or radiography
• No known CNS metastases or leptomeningeal metastases requiring corticosteroids
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN for patients with hepatic metastases)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.8 mg/dL
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure
• No personal or family history of congenital long QT syndrome
• No QTc interval \> 450 msec (males) or \> 470 msec (females) by ECG
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No preexisting neuropathy ≥ grade 2
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for the following:
• * Cured basal cell skin cancer
• * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix or urinary bladder
• * Stage T1 or T2 prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen \< 2 ng/mL
• No hypersensitivity reaction ≥ grade 3 to prior Cremophor-containing therapy
• No infection requiring parenteral or oral anti-infective therapy
• No weight loss of ≥ 10% within the past 3 months
• No altered mental status or psychiatric illness that would preclude giving informed consent
• No other medical condition that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (sargramostim \[GM-CSF\])
• No concurrent routine prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim \[G-CSF\])
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• Endocrine therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
• Other
• Prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy allowed
• Prior radiosensitizers allowed
• At least 2 weeks since prior gefitinib
• More than 3 weeks since prior investigational agents (therapeutic or diagnostic)
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No other concurrent anticancer treatment