Epothilone D in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Not Responded to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Stage IIIB* or IV disease NOTE: *Due to malignant pleural effusion or supraclavicular lymph node involvement only
Previously treated with maximally feasible surgical resection and/or radiotherapy for initial disease
Failed 1 prior platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen for advanced or metastatic disease due to disease progression or treatment toxicity
At least 1 site of unidimensionally measurable disease by physical exam or radiography
No known CNS metastases or leptomeningeal metastases requiring corticosteroids

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

18 and over

Performance status

ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

More than 3 months

Hematopoietic

Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL
Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm^3

Hepatic

AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN for patients with hepatic metastases)
Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN
Bilirubin ≤ 1.8 mg/dL

Renal

Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure
No personal or family history of congenital long QT syndrome
No QTc interval > 450 msec (males) or > 470 msec (females) by ECG

Other

Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
No preexisting neuropathy ≥ grade 2

No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for the following:

Cured basal cell skin cancer
Carcinoma in situ of the cervix or urinary bladder
Stage T1 or T2 prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen < 2 ng/mL
No hypersensitivity reaction ≥ grade 3 to prior Cremophor-containing therapy
No infection requiring parenteral or oral anti-infective therapy
No weight loss of ≥ 10% within the past 3 months
No altered mental status or psychiatric illness that would preclude giving informed consent
No other medical condition that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

No concurrent granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (sargramostim [GM-CSF])
No concurrent routine prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim [G-CSF])

Chemotherapy

See Disease Characteristics
At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered

Endocrine therapy

See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy

See Disease Characteristics
At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

See Disease Characteristics
At least 3 weeks since prior surgery and recovered

Other

Prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy allowed
Prior radiosensitizers allowed
At least 2 weeks since prior gefitinib
More than 3 weeks since prior investigational agents (therapeutic or diagnostic)
No other concurrent investigational agents
No other concurrent anticancer treatment