Topotecan in Treating Patients With Recurrent Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
• * Recurrent extensive stage disease
• * No mixed histology
• Measurable disease
• * At least 1 bidimensionally measurable, non-central nervous system (CNS), indicator lesion confirmed by CT scan or MRI
• Sensitive disease
• * Responded to prior first-line therapy AND relapsed ≥ 60 days after response (90 days after initiation of first-line therapy)
• Eligible for high-dose chemotherapy
• No symptomatic brain metastases affecting performance status
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2
• Life expectancy
• At least 2 months
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
• Hematocrit \> 35% (without transfusion)
• Hepatic
• Serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) ≤ 2 times normal\*
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times normal\*
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• Albumin \> 2.5 g/dL
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• No significant hepatic disease Note: \*≤ 5 times upper limit of normal if liver metastases are present
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• No history of cardiac arrhythmias
• No congestive heart failure
• No ischemic heart disease
• No stroke or other embolic disease requiring daily treatment that would preclude study participation
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• HIV negative
• No known seizure disorder
• No active infection requiring systemic therapy within the past 2 weeks
• No known hypersensitivity to topotecan hydrochloride
• No medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study participation
• No other malignancy except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or stage A low-grade prostate cancer
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior antineoplastic and/or myelosuppressive chemotherapy
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen (except for adjuvant chemotherapy) for SCLC
• No prior topotecan hydrochloride
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• Not specified
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 2 months since prior investigational agent
• No other concurrent investigational agent