Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) of any of the following
histologic types:

- Squamous cell

- Adenocarcinoma

- Large cell carcinoma

- Unspecified

- Evidence of at least 1 of the following criteria:

- Newly diagnosed inoperable stage IIIB (pleural effusion) disease

- Patients with stage III disease who are unable to undergo combined modality
therapy

- Stage IV disease

- Recurrent non-small cell lung cancer regardless of site

- Diagnosis based on sputum cytology acceptable if confirmed by an independent
pathologic review

- Patients must have measurable or evaluable disease

- Measurable or evaluable disease must be outside the previous radiation field or
a new lesion must be present

- Patients with brain metastases are eligible, provided they are either asymptomatic
(no neurological symptoms or signs, no evidence of midline shift), or controlled
(i.e., after surgical resection or radiotherapy/radiosurgery), and off all steroid
therapy for at least two weeks with no evidence of progression by symptoms or
radiologic imaging

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status of 2 or 3 OR HIV-positive OR underwent prior status post
organ transplantation

- No active serious infection (except for HIV infection)

- No symptomatic, untreated malignant pericardial effusion

- No congestive heart failure

- No other serious underlying medical condition that would otherwise impair their
ability to receive protocol treatment

- Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm ^3

- Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min

- Creatinine ≤ 1.8 mg/dL

- Bilirubin < 1.5 mg/dL

- SGOT ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Males or females of reproductive potential may not participate unless they have
agreed to use effective barrier contraceptive methods

- No prior malignancy within the past 5 years except for adequately treated basal cell
or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- Prior chemotherapy is not allowed

- At least three weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered from all toxicities

- At least three weeks must have elapsed from major surgery and recovered from all
adverse effects of surgery

- No prior colony-stimulating factors or interferon

- No concurrent hormonal, biologic, or radiotherapy to measurable lesions

- Patients may receive concurrent palliative radiotherapy to small-field
nonmeasurable sites of disease (e.g., painful bony metastases)