Gefitinib in Treating Patients With Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To assess the response rate to gefitinib treatment as preoperative induction therapy in patients with biopsy-proven stage IIIA (pN2) non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer accompanied by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Secondary * To determine the complete resection rate in patients treated with this drug. * To determine the overall survival rate in patients treated with this drug. * To determine the disease-free survival rate in patients treated with this drug. * To determine the pathologic complete response rate in patients treated with this drug. * To determine the toxicity of this drug in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive oral gefitinib once a day on days 1-28. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients with resectable disease may undergo surgery. Patients with unresectable disease may undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed for 2 years.