Gold Sodium Thiomalate in Treating Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed advanced non-small cell lung cancer
• No known standard therapy for disease that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy
• No symptomatic or worsening CNS metastases despite optimal therapy
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
• ANC ≥ 1,500/µL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/µL
• Total bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST ≤ 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver involvement)
• Creatinine ≤ 1.2 times ULN
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Must be willing to provide blood and tissue samples
• No uncontrolled infection
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No known allergy to gold sodium thiomalate
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Recovered from acute, reversible effects of prior chemotherapy regardless of interval since last treatment
• No prior chemotherapy within the past 3 weeks
• No prior mitomycin C or nitrosoureas within the past 6 weeks
• No prior immunotherapy within the past 3 weeks
• No prior biologic therapy within the past 3 weeks
• No prior radiotherapy within the past 3 weeks
• No prior radiotherapy to \> 25% of bone marrow
• No other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (i.e., utilized for a non-FDA-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation)
• No concurrent prophylactic colony stimulating factors