Carboplatin, Ixabepilone, and Cetuximab in Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Previously Untreated With Chemotherapy

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• * Chemotherapy-naive
• * Stage IIIB disease not amenable to surgery with pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or not a candidate for chemoradiotherapy
• * Stage IV disease
• Must have pathology block or unstained slides from initial or subsequent diagnosis
• * Diagnosis made via a core biopsy (not a fine-needle aspirate) required
• Measurable disease as defined by RECIST guidelines
• * For patient who received prior radiotherapy, evaluable disease must be outside of the radiation field, or have new lesions that developed within the radiation field
• Brain metastasis allowed provided it has been treated and determined to be controlled by the treating physician
• No IgE cetuximab antibody
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status 0-1
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL
• Creatinine \< 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN in the presence of hepatic metastasis)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Prior malignancy allowed provided the treating physician determines that the patient's life expectancy is best defined by diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 by NCI CTCAE v. 3.0
• No prior severe allergic reaction to any of the following:
• * Carboplatin
• * Taxane therapy
• * Monoclonal antibody
• * Hypersensitivity (NCI CTCAE grade3-4) to a drug formulated in Cremophor® EL (polyoxyethylated castor oil)
• No active or uncontrolled infection
• No significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease including, but not limited to, any of the following:
• * Uncontrolled hypertension
• * Unstable angina
• * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• * Cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection fraction
• No underlying interstitial lung disease
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 1 week since prior and no concurrent therapeutic radiotherapy
• * Palliative radiotherapy for painful bone lesions allowed
• At least 6 months since prior adjuvant chemotherapy
• No investigational agent(s) within the past 30 days
• Not requiring concurrent treatment with any of the following:
• * Ketoconazole
• * Itraconazole
• * Ritonavir
• * Amprenavir
• * Indinavir
• * Nelfinavir
• * Delavirdine
• * Voriconazole
• No other concurrent chemotherapy or cetuximab