Etoposide and Cisplatin or Carboplatin as First-Line Chemotherapy With or Without Pravastatin in Treating Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed small cell lung cancer

  * Limited stage or extensive stage disease
* No mixed cell histology
* No symptomatic brain metastases that require immediate radiotherapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-3
* Life expectancy \> 8 weeks
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
* Glomerular filtration rate ≥ 50 mL/min
* Creatine kinase ≤ 5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Liver function tests (ALP, ALT/AST, and bilirubin) \< 3 times ULN
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 1 year after completion of chemotherapy/radiotherapy and for an additional 28 days after completion of pravastatin sodium
* Able to tolerate chemotherapy
* No evidence of significant medical condition or laboratory finding that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude study participation
* No family history of hypercholesterolemia
* No history of malignant tumor unless the patient has been without evidence of disease for ≥ 3 years or tumor was a nonmelanoma skin tumor or early cervical cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* More than 12 months since prior statin
* More than 4 weeks since prior fibrates (e.g., bezofibrate, gemfibrozil, or fenofibrate)
* No prior chemotherapy for this cancer
* No prior radiotherapy for this cancer unless to distant metastases (i.e., not within the thorax or thoracic/cervical spine area)
* No concurrent cyclosporine
* Concurrent radiotherapy allowed