Docetaxel, Carboplatin, and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving docetaxel and carboplatin together with bevacizumab before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving docetaxel and carboplatin together with bevacizumab works in treating patients with stage I, stage II, or stage III non-small cell lung cancer that can be removed by surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the clinical response rate in patients with stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer treated with neoadjuvant docetaxel, carboplatin, and bevacizumab. Secondary * Determine the median and overall survival of patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the safety profile of this regimen. * Determine the time to treatment failure of patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the pathologic response rate and the resectability rate in patients treated with this regimen. * Correlate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels or expression with response and survival of patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: Patients receive docetaxel IV over 15-60 minutes, carboplatin IV over 30-60 minutes, and bevacizumab\* IV over 30-90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Approximately 4-6 weeks after completion of chemotherapy, eligible patients with no distant or mediastinal disease progression undergo lobectomy, pneumonectomy, or segmentectomy with standard radical mediastinal lymph node dissection. NOTE: \*Bevacizumab is only administered during courses 1 and 2. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for 8 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients will be accrued for this study.