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

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