Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed bronchoalveolar cell (or a variant) non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC)

- Stage IIIB (malignant pleural or pericardial effusion) disease

- Stage IV disease

- Recurrent and/or medically inoperable disease

- Measurable or evaluable indicator lesions

- No uncontrolled CNS metastases (i.e., any known CNS lesion that is radiographically
unstable, symptomatic, and/or requiring escalating doses of corticosteroids)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 OR Karnofsky PS 80-100%

- Life expectancy ≥ 8 weeks

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³

- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.0 mg/dL

- AST ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance ≥ 55 mL/min

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No significant medical history or unstable medical condition, including any of the
following:

- Unstable systemic disease

- Congestive heart failure

- Recent myocardial infarction

- Unstable angina

- Active infection

- Uncontrolled hypertension

- No other active malignancies within the past 5 years except for adequately treated
carcinoma of the cervix or basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 3 weeks since prior radiation therapy to a major bone marrow-containing area

- At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy

- No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for NSCLC

- No prior systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy for other malignant diseases

- No prior erlotinib hydrochloride or other agents targeting the HER family (e.g.,
cetuximab, trastuzumab [Herceptin®], or gefitinib)

- No concurrent radiotherapy or chemotherapy