High-Dose or Standard-Dose Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy With or Without Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

Inclusion criteria:

   1. Pathologically proven (either histologic or cytologic) diagnosis of Stage IIIA or IIIB
   non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); excluding patients with N3 disease based on
   supraclavicular or contralateral hilar adenopathy, [according to American Joint
   Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging, 6th edition; see appendix III] within 12 weeks of
   registration; patients who present with N2 or N3 disease and an undetectable NSCLC
   primary tumor also are eligible.

   2. Patients must be considered unresectable or inoperable; Note: Patients who have had a
   nodal recurrence after surgery for an early-stage NSCLC are eligible if the following
   criteria are met:

      - Nodal recurrence must be N1 or N2; N3 is not eligible.

      - The initial primary must have been staged as T1-2, N0, M0.

      - The node must be biopsied within 12 weeks of registration.

      - The node must be measurable.

      - The patient must not have received prior chemotherapy or radiation for this lung
      cancer.

      - Prior curative surgery must have been at least 6 months prior to the nodal
      recurrence.

      - The exception to a prior invasive malignancy does not apply to the initial lung
      primary.

   3. Stage III A or B disease, including no distant metastases, based upon the following
   minimum diagnostic workup are acceptable:

      - History/physical examination, including documentation of height, weight, body
      surface area (BSA), and vital signs within 8 weeks prior to registration;

      - Computed tomographic (CT)/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) imaging of the lung
      and upper abdomen through the adrenal glands within 6 weeks prior to
      registration;

      - An MRI of the brain with contrast (or CT with contrast if MRI is medically
      contraindicated) within 6 weeks prior to registration; Note: The use of
      intravenous contrast is required for the MRI or CT. An MRI without contrast is
      only permitted if the patient has a contrast allergy.

      - Whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) - Positron Emission Tomography(PET) or PET/CT
      or if no PET is available, a bone scan is required within 6 weeks prior to
      registration; Note: If a PET is done that shows clear adrenals and lungs, then a
      CT scan of chest only is permitted.

   4. If a pleural effusion is present, the following criteria must be met to exclude
   malignant involvement (incurable T4 disease):

      - When pleural fluid is visible on both the CT scan and on a chest x-ray, a
      pleuracentesis is required to confirm that the pleural fluid is cytologically
      negative.

      - Exudative pleural effusions are excluded, regardless of cytology;

      - Effusions that are minimal (i.e. not visible on chest x-ray) that are too small
      to safely tap are eligible.

   5. Patients must have measurable or evaluable disease.

   6. Patients with post-obstructive pneumonia are eligible.

   7. Patients must be at least 3 weeks from prior thoracotomy (if performed).

   8. Zubrod Performance Status 0-1;

   9. Age ≥ 18;

10. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) including forced expiratory volume in one second
   (FEV1) within 12 weeks prior to registration; for FEV1, the best value obtained pre-
   or post bronchodilator must be ≥ 1.2 liters/second or ≥ 50% predicted.

11. Complete blood count (CBC)/differential obtained within 2 weeks prior to registration
   on study, with adequate bone marrow function defined as follows:

      - Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,800 cells/mm3;

      - Platelets ≥ 100,000 cells/mm3;

      - Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dl (Note: The use of transfusion or other intervention to
      achieve Hgb ≥ 10.0 g/dl is acceptable.)

12. Serum creatinine within normal institutional limits or creatinine clearance ≥60
   ml/min;

13. Bilirubin must be within or below normal institutional limits;

14. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 2.5 x the
   institutional upper limit of normal (IULN);

15. Patient must sign study specific informed consent prior to study entry.

Exclusion Criteria:

   1. N3 supraclavicular disease;

   2. Greater than minimal, exudative, or cytologically positive pleural effusions;

   3. Involved contralateral hilar nodes (i.e. greater than 1.5 cm on short axis or positive
   on PET scan);

   4. ≥ 10% weight loss within the past month;

   5. Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free
   for a minimum of 3 years; non-invasive conditions such as carcinoma in situ of the
   breast, oral cavity, or cervix are all permissible.

   6. Prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer; note that prior chemotherapy for a
   different cancer is allowable.

   7. Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of
   radiation therapy fields;

   8. Prior therapy that specifically and directly targets the epidermal growth factor
   receptor (EGFR) pathway;

   9. Prior severe infusion reaction to a monoclonal antibody;

10. Severe, active co-morbidity, defined as follows:

      - Significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease; i.e., uncontrolled
      hypertension, unstable angina, myocardial infarction within the last 6 months,
      uncontrolled congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection
      fraction.

      - Transmural myocardial infarction within the last 6 months;

      - Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics at the time
      of registration;

      - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness
      requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within 30 days before
      registration;

      - Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects;

      - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) based upon current Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention (CDC) definition; note, however, that human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is not required for entry into this
      protocol. The need to exclude patients with AIDS from this protocol is necessary
      because the treatments involved in this protocol may be significantly
      immunosuppressive. Protocol-specific requirements may also exclude
      immuno-compromised patients.

11. Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not
   willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception; this exclusion is
   necessary because the treatment involved in this study may be significantly
   teratogenic.

12. Any history of allergic reaction to paclitaxel or other taxanes, or to carboplatin;

13. Uncontrolled neuropathy grade 2 or greater regardless of cause.