Slow accruals

This trial studies how well high dose vitamin A compound works in treating participants with non-small cell lung cancer that can be removed by surgery. Vitamin A compound may increase the number of germinal centers (immune centers that make antibodies mature) in tumor and lymph tissues which may be beneficial to patients with cancer.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare the percentage of resected cancers containing germinal centers (GCs) in patients who receive neoadjuvant vitamin A compound (vitamin A) to controls.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare the abundance of GCs in adjacent lymph nodes in patients who receive neoadjuvant vitamin A to controls.

II. To compare histopathologic responses based on tumor necrosis in lung cancer patients who receive neoadjuvant vitamin A to controls.

III. To compare overall survival of patients who receive neoadjuvant vitamin A to controls.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To describe immunophenotypic changes of monocytes including myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in pre- and post-treatment blood samples.

OUTLINE: Participants are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Participants receive vitamin A compound orally (PO) for 7 consecutive days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 21 days of completing treatment, participants then undergo surgical resection.

GROUP II: Participants undergo surgical resection.

After completion of study treatment, participants are followed up for 30 days.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient must be 18 years of age or older.
• Patients must have either biopsy proven or radiographically suspected non-small cell lung cancer.
• Patients must have disease in the chest that is felt to be surgically resectable.
• ECOG performance status of 0-2.
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign an IRB-approved informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients younger than 18 years of age
• Women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
• Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents for the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer.
• Patients may not be taking the following medications: high dose vitamin A supplement (multivitamin supplements prohibited only if vitamin A content is greater than 3,500 international units), bexarotene, alitretinoin, tretinoin, adapalene, isotretinoin, acitretin, doxycycline, minocycline, or demeclocycline,
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, pancreatitis, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
• Hypervitaminosis A - toxic effects of ingesting too much vitamin A.