S0526: Pemetrexed Disodium in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed disodium, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Pemetrexed disodium may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well pemetrexed disodium works in treating patients with stage III or stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Assess overall survival of patients with selected stage IIIB or IV bronchoalveolar carcinoma treated with pemetrexed disodium. Secondary * Evaluate the progression-free survival of patients treated with this drug. * Evaluate the response rate (confirmed and unconfirmed, partial and complete) in the subset of patients with measurable disease treated with this drug using standard RECIST criteria and computer assisted image analysis. * Evaluate frequency and severity of toxicities in patients treated with this drug. * Perform molecular correlative studies on patient tissue to investigate potential predictors of efficacy. (This will not be completed as this study was closed due to poor accrual.) OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to prior treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib (yes vs no). Patients receive pemetrexed disodium intravenous (IV) on day 1. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for 3 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 99 patients will be accrued for this study.