Seneca Valley Virus-001 After Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed diagnosis of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

  * No mixed histology
* Presence of ≥ 1 neuroendocrine marker (synaptophysin, chromogranin, or CD56) in tumor tissue
* Achieved partial response (PR), complete response (CR), or stable disease (SD) ≤ 12 weeks of completing 4-6 courses of platinum-based chemotherapy regimen for extensive-stage SCLC

  * Patients with PR or SD must have measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 lesion whose longest diameter can be accurately measured as ≥ 2.0 cm but \< 10 cm by chest x-ray OR as ≥ 1.0 cm but \< 10 cm by CT scan, CT component of a PET/CT scan, or MRI

    * If CT scan is used, it must be used for both pre- and post-treatment tumor assessments
    * Measurable disease is not required for patients with CR
* Brain metastases allowed provided they have been stable for ≥ 4 weeks after completion of prior radiotherapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0 or 1
* Life expectancy of ≥ 8 weeks
* ANC ≥ 1,500/μL
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR direct bilirubin normal
* AST ≤ 3 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN if liver has tumor involvement)
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use adequate contraception
* Able to comply with study procedures to minimize virus exposure to others
* Willing to provide required biologic specimens
* Willing to return to NCCTG/CTSU enrolling institution for follow-up
* Adequate lung function (i.e., not oxygen dependent)

  * The patient is eligible if not on a 24-hour oxygen schedule
* No second primary malignancy within the past 5 years, except for the following:

  * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix
  * Non-melanomatous skin cancer
  * History of low-grade (Gleason score ≤ 6) localized prostate cancer (even if diagnosed \< 5 years prior to study entry)
  * Stage I breast cancer that was treated ≥ 5 years before study entry
  * Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (in situ)
* No active hepatitis B or hepatitis C
* No clinically significant infection
* No significant traumatic injury within the past 4 weeks
* No concurrent uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy (2 weeks for palliative radiotherapy to skeletal metastases)
* Other prior radiation therapy (including WBRT, PCI, or Gamma Knife) is permitted as long as the following are true:

  * Recovered from prior radiotherapy (alopecia allowed)
  * No prior consolidation radiation therapy to the chest
  * No prior radiotherapy to \> 25% of bone marrow
  * For patients without brain metastases, WBRT or standard of care PCI completed ≥ 2 weeks before administration of NTX- 010/placebo
* More than 365 days since prior immunotherapy or biologic therapy
* More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery\* (i.e., laparotomy) or open biopsy
* More than 2 weeks since prior minor surgery\*
* No prior exposure to the Seneca Valley virus (NTX-010), as determined by negative serum antibodies
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients NOTE: \*Insertion of a vascular access device is not considered major or minor surgery.