Panobinostat, Etoposide, and Cisplatin as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed small cell lung cancer

  * Extensive-stage disease
* Measurable disease according to RECIST criteria
* No symptomatic brain metastasis or meningeal tumors

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL
* Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) OR 24-hour creatinine clearance ≥ to 60 mL/min
* Magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus ≥ the lower limit of normal OR correctable with supplements prior to study treatment
* AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 x ULN (≤ 5.0 x ULN if hepatic metastases are present)
* Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 x ULN OR liver fraction ≤ 2.5 x ULN
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective double contraception (at least 1 barrier method) during and for at least 30 days after completion of study treatment
* No impaired cardiac function, including any one of the following:

  * LVEF \< 45% as determined by ECHO
  * Complete left bundle branch block, obligate use of a cardiac pacemaker, congenital long QT syndrome, history or presence of atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias, clinically significant resting bradycardia (\< 50 beats per minute), QTcF \> 480 msec on screening ECG, or right bundle branch block and left anterior hemiblock (bifascicular block)
  * Uncontrolled angina pectoris or acute myocardial infarction within the past 3 months
  * Other clinically significant heart disease (e.g., congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, history of labile hypertension, or history of poor compliance with an antihypertensive regimen)
* No history of HIV or AIDS-related illness
* No acute or chronic liver or renal disease
* No other concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions that could cause unacceptable safety risks or compromise compliance with the protocol, including any of the following:

  * Uncontrolled diabetes
  * Chronic obstructive or chronic restrictive pulmonary disease
  * Active or uncontrolled infection
* No known immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reaction or idiosyncrasy to drugs chemically related to panobinostat, cisplatin, or etoposide
* No hearing impairment that would be a contraindication to the use of cisplatin

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior chemotherapy
* No investigational drug or experimental medications or treatments within the past 30 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer