Gemcitabine Hydrochloride and Carboplatin With or Without MK-0646 as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

  * Squamous histology mixed with other NSCLC component (e.g. adenosquamous) allowed

    * No mixed histology with small cell component
* Stage IV disease
* Candidate for palliative chemotherapy
* Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 lesion whose longest diameter can be accurately measured as ≥ 2.0 cm by chest X-ray OR as ≥ 1.0 cm by CT scan, CT component of a PET/CT scan, or MRI

  * If the sole site of disease was previously irradiated, there must be evidence of disease progression at that site
* No symptomatic, untreated, or uncontrolled CNS metastases
* Concurrent enrollment on NCCTG-N0392 required

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks
* ANC ≥ 1,500/μL
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
* Total bilirubin normal (\< 3.0 mg/dL for patients with Gilbert syndrome)
* ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN
* Creatinine clearance ≤ 1.2 times ULN OR calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
* Fasting glucose \< 120 mg/dL
* HbA1c ≤ 7%
* INR \< 1.5 OR PT/PTT normal (patients receiving anticoagulation therapy with an agent such as warfarin or prophylactic-dose heparin are eligible provided the patient meets the above criteria at the patient's stable dose of anticoagulants)
* QTc \< 450 msec and no conduction abnormalities (e.g., heart block) on EKG

  * Isolated premature ventricular or atrial conduction beats allowed
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Willing and able to comply with study
* Willing to return to NCCTG participating center for follow-up
* Willing to provide blood samples as required by study
* Able to complete questionnaire(s) alone or with assistance
* No clinically significant infection
* No significant traumatic injury within the past 4 weeks
* No symptomatic, untreated, or uncontrolled seizure disorder
* No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, defined as fasting blood glucose ≥ 120 mg/dL on 2 consecutive measurements (taken ≤ 2 weeks apart) or by patient's clinical history
* No other uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Significant pulmonary symptoms at baseline due to disease
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
* No second primary malignancy, except for any of the following:

  * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix
  * Nonmelanomatous skin cancer
  * Other malignancy that was diagnosed and definitively treated ≥ 5 years ago with no subsequent evidence of recurrence
  * History of low-grade (Gleason score ≤ 6) localized prostate cancer, even if diagnosed within the past 5 years
  * Stage I breast cancer that was treated within the past 5 years
* No HIV-positivity and no history of chronic hepatitis B or C (regardless of viral load)
* No evidence or history of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer, except neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant therapy, or chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer administered \> 12 months ago
* More than 12 months since prior gemcitabine hydrochloride, cisplatin, or carboplatin
* More than 12 months since prior immunotherapy or biologic therapy
* At least 1 week since prior gamma knife radiosurgery for brain metastases or palliative radiotherapy for skeletal metastases and recovered
* At least 2 weeks since prior whole-brain radiotherapy for CNS metastases and recovered
* More than 2 weeks since other prior radiotherapy
* No prior radiotherapy to ≥ 25% of bone marrow
* More than 2 weeks since prior minor surgery\*
* More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery (e.g., laparotomy)\*
* No other concurrent anticancer drugs or therapy
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation

  * Prophylactic anticoagulation (i.e., low-dose warfarin) of venous or arterial access devices allowed provided the requirements for PT, INR, or PTT are met
* Concurrent radiotherapy for symptom palliation allowed
* Concurrent megestrol acetate for appetite allowed NOTE: \*Insertion of a vascular access device is not considered major or minor surgery