Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer That Cannot Be Removed During Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy 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. It is not yet known whether giving chemotherapy before combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy is more effective than combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy with radiation therapy and chemotherapy alone in treating patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed during surgery.