Erlotinib, Paclitaxel, and Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Stage III, Stage IV, or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Pathologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• •* Stage IIIB or IV or recurrent disease
• •Measurable or evaluable indicator lesions
• •Must have smoked ≥ 100 cigarettes in his/her lifetime
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Karnofsky performance status 70-100%
• •WBC ≥ 4,000/mm\^3
• •Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• •Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
• •Bilirubin ≤ 1.0 mg/dL
• •AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• •Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 1 week after completion of study treatment
• •No gastrointestinal tract disease or inability to take oral medication
• •No prior malignancy within the past 2 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• •No other active medical problems, including severe infection, unstable angina, or myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• •No poorly controlled hypertension or severe malnutrition
• •No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure or serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication except chronic atrial arrhythmia (i.e., atrial fibrillation or paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia)
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy to major bone marrow-containing sites
• •No prior chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer
• •No prior agents directed at the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/HER axis (e.g., gefitinib, cetuximab, or trastuzumab \[Herceptin®\])
• •No prior surgical procedure resulting in abnormal absorption of oral medications
• •No concurrent surgical resection, palliative radiotherapy, or hormonal therapy
• •No other concurrent anticancer therapy