Randomised Phase II/III Trial of Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Continuous Hyperfractionated Accelerated Radiotherapy (CHART) Versus CHART Alone in Patients With Inoperable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vinorelbine and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether giving radiation therapy together with vinorelbine and cisplatin is more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying how well giving radiation therapy together with vinorelbine and cisplatin works and compares it to radiation therapy alone in treating patients with stage I, stage II, or stage III non-small cell lung cancer.