Vorinostat, Paclitaxel, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients Unable to Tolerate Cisplatin With Stage III Non-Small Lung Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

Histologically or cytologically proven diagnosis of NSCLC

Inoperable Stage IIIA or IIIB (excluding malignant pleural effusion) disease according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual, Sixth edition (2002)

At least one site of measurable disease, as defined by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2

Inability to tolerate full dose cisplatin as defined by:

Creatinine clearance less than 50ml/min

Greater than grade 2 sensory hearing loss (as defined by National Cancer Institute \[NCI\] Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events \[CTCAE\] criteria v3.0 adverse event term "Hearing: Patients without baseline audiogram and not enrolled in a monitoring program")

Performance status \>= 2

Age \>= 75 years

Cardiac history, such as myocardial infarction within 6 months, angina, or heart disease as defined by the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV

Any other comorbid disease or condition that would increase the risk of toxicity of cisplatin therapy

Female patient is either post menopausal, free from menses for \>= 2 years, surgically sterilized or willing to use 2 adequate barrier methods of contraception to prevent pregnancy or agrees to abstain from heterosexual activity throughout the study

Female patient of childbearing potential has a negative serum pregnancy test beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) within 7 days prior to receiving the first dose of vorinostat

Male patient agrees to use an adequate method of contraception for the duration of the study

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,500/mcL

Platelets \>= 100,000/mcL

Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL

Prothrombin Time or International Normalized Ratio (INR) =\< 1.5x upper limit of normal (ULN) unless receiving therapeutic anticoagulation

Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) =\< 1.2 times the ULN unless the patient is receiving therapeutic anticoagulation

Potassium levels: Normal limits

Magnesium levels: Normal limits

Calculated creatinine clearance \>= 20 mL/min

Serum total bilirubin =\< 1.5 X ULN

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamate oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X ULN

Alkaline Phosphatase =\< 2.5 X ULN

Patient, or the patient's legal representative, has voluntarily agreed to participate by giving written informed consent

Patient has a life expectancy of at least 12 weeks

Patient is available for periodic blood sampling, study related assessments, and management at the treating institution for the duration of the study

What this study is about