High-Dose 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Inoperable Stage I, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer

  • Medically inoperable stage I or II disease

  • Stage III disease eligible provided the following are true:

    • No supraclavicular node involvement
    • No peripherally located lower lobe tumor AND contralateral upper mediastinal node involvement
• No distant metastasis
• No malignant pleural or pericardial effusion

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• Not specified

Performance status

• WHO 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Not specified

Hepatic

• Not specified

Renal

• Not specified

Cardiovascular

• No prior myocardial infarction
• No prior complete bundle branch block
• No other prior cardiovascular disease resulting in New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No clinically significant cardiac arrhythmias
• No congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

• FEV_1 at least 1.2 L OR
• DLCO at least 60%

Other

• No other prior or concurrent malignancy except cured basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No intractable or uncontrolled infection
• No psychological, familial, social, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance and follow-up
• Able to tolerate a course of radiotherapy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• No prior anthracyclines
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• No prior radiotherapy to the chest area

Surgery

• No prior therapeutic surgery to the chest area

Other

• No other prior therapy to the chest area