RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, irinotecan, carboplatin, and etoposide, use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin and irinotecan followed by carboplatin, etoposide, and radiation therapy in treating patients who have limited-stage small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Determine the efficacy of cisplatin and irinotecan followed by carboplatin, etoposide, and radiotherapy, in terms of 2-year survival, in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer.

Secondary

• Determine the overall response rate, overall survival, and failure-free survival of patients treated with this regimen.
• Determine the response rate in patients treated with induction therapy comprising irinotecan and cisplatin.
• Determine the toxicity and tolerability of this regimen in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

• Induction therapy: Patients receive cisplatin IV over 60 minutes and irinotecan IV over 90 minutes on days 1 and 8. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Consolidation therapy: Immediately after the completion of induction therapy, patients receive carboplatin IV over 60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 60 minutes on days 1-3. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Radiotherapy: Beginning on day 1 of consolidation therapy, patients undergo chest radiotherapy daily 5 days a week for 6-7 weeks.

After the completion of consolidation therapy, patients who achieve a complete remission or very good partial remission may undergo prophylactic radiotherapy to the brain.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually for 5 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 75 patients will be accrued for this study within 15-24 months.

1. Histologically or cytologically documented small cell lung cancer of limited stage.

   1.1 Limited stage disease category includes patients with disease restricted to one hemithorax with regional lymph node metastases, including hilar, ipsilateral and contralateral mediastinal lymph nodes.

   1.2 Although they are usually defined as having limited stage small cell lung cancer, because of concern about the volume of the radiation field that would be required, patients with clinically suspected or confirmed supraclavicular lymph node metastases, patients with pathologically enlarged contralateral hilar lymph nodes, and patients with pleural effusions that are visible on plain chest radiographs, whether cytologically positive or not, are NOT eligible.

2. All Patients must have Measurable Disease

   2.1 Lesions that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥20 mm with conventional techniques or as ≥10 mm with spiral CT scan.

   2.2 Pleural/pericardial effusions are not considered measurable.

3. Age ≥18

4. ECOG Performance status 0-2.

5. Prior Treatment - No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy for SCLC.

6. No "currently active" second malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancers. Patients are not considered to have a "currently active" malignancy if they have completed therapy and are considered by their physician to be at less than 30% risk of relapse.

7. Non-pregnant and non-nursing because of significant risk to the fetus/infant.

8. Required Initial Laboratory Values

   • Granulocytes ≥1,500/µl
   • Platelets ≥100,000/µl
   • Serum Creatinine ≤ULN
   • Bilirubin <1.5 mg/dl
   • SGOT (AST) <2 x ULN