RATIONALE: Studying quality-of-life in patients undergoing cancer treatment may help identify the intermediate and long-term effects of treatment on patients with cancer.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying quality of life in patients who are receiving either vinorelbine, gemcitabine, and docetaxel or paclitaxel and carboplatin for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the quality of life of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with vinorelbine, gemcitabine, and docetaxel vs paclitaxel and carboplatin on protocol JMTO-LC00-03.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive treatment on protocol JMTO-LC00-03.

Quality of life is assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L), FACT-Taxane, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spirituality (FACIT-Sp) questionnaires at baseline, weeks 9 and 18, and at the completion of treatment.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 80 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed primary non-small cell lung cancer, including any of the following:

  • Newly diagnosed selected stage IIIB (T4 lesion due to malignant pleural effusion) disease
  • Newly diagnosed stage IV disease
  • Recurrent disease after prior surgery and/or radiotherapy

• Any of the following cellular subtypes are allowed:

  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Large cell carcinoma
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Unspecified carcinoma

• Enrolled on protocol JMTO-LC00-03

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Not specified

Hepatic

• Not specified

Renal

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics