Sorafenib in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), meeting 1 of the following stage criteria:

  * Stage IIIB with pleural effusion
  * Stage IV
* Measurable disease

  * At least 1 lesion ≥ 2.0 cm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 1.0 cm by spiral CT scan
  * The following are not considered measurable disease:

    * Bone lesions
    * Leptomeningeal disease
    * Ascites
    * Pleural/pericardial effusion
    * Inflammatory breast disease
    * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
    * Abdominal masses not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
    * Cystic lesions
* No known brain metastases, even if treated and stable
* Performance status - ECOG 0-2
* At least 12 weeks
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
* No bleeding diathesis
* Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST ≤ 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if hepatic metastasis present)
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* No uncontrolled hypertension
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No known HIV positivity
* HIV negative
* Able to swallow tablets
* No uncontrolled infection
* No other severe underlying disease that would preclude study participation
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or adequately treated noninvasive carcinomas
* No prior immunotherapy, biologic therapy, or gene therapy
* No concurrent prophylactic colony-stimulating factors
* At least 4 weeks since prior low-dose weekly chemotherapy as a radiosensitizer
* No other prior chemotherapy for NSCLC
* No concurrent chemotherapy
* See Chemotherapy
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* No prior radiotherapy to ≥ 30% of bone marrow
* No concurrent radiotherapy

  * Concurrent palliative radiotherapy to nontarget lesions (e.g., painful pre-existing bony metastasis) allowed
* Prior adjuvant therapy allowed provided recurrent disease occurred \> 6 months after completion of adjuvant therapy
* No prior systemic therapy for NSCLC, including all novel targeted agents (e.g., gefitinib or erlotinib)
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation

  * Prophylactic anticoagulation (e.g., low-dose warfarin) for venous and arterial devices allowed provided PT, INR, and PTT requirements are met
* No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies
* No other concurrent investigational agents or therapies