OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the feasibility of cetuximab when administered concurrently with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and radiotherapy, in terms of safety and compliance, in patients with unresectable stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Secondary * Determine the response rate (complete and partial) in patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the overall survival (1- and 2-year survival rate and median survival) of patients treated with this regimen. * Determine the time to disease progression (at 1 and 2 years) in patients treated with this regimen. * Correlate epidermal growth factor receptor expression with the toxicity of this regimen and response, overall survival, and progression in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. * Cetuximab loading dose (week 1): Patients receive a loading dose of cetuximab IV over 2 hours on day 1. * Concurrent cetuximab and chemoradiotherapy (weeks 2-8): Patients receive cetuximab IV over 1 hour, paclitaxel IV over 1 hour, and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on days 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, and 50. Patients undergo radiotherapy once daily on days 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, 29-33, 36-40, 43-47, and 50-53. * Consolidation therapy (weeks 9-17): Patients receive cetuximab IV over 1 hour on days 57, 64, 71, 78, 85, 92, 99, 106, and 113. Patients also receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on days 78 and 99. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed at 30 days, every 3 months for 2 years, every 4 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 84 patients will be accrued for this study within 1 year.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of 1 of the following subtypes: * Squamous cell carcinoma * Adenocarcinoma (including bronchoalveolar cell) * Large cell anaplastic carcinoma (including giant and clear cell carcinomas) * Poorly differentiated/not otherwise specified NSCLC * Stage IIIA (T1-2, N2, M0 or T3, N1-2, M0) or IIIB (T4, any N, M0 or any T, N2-3, M0) * If the largest mediastinal node is \< 2.0 cm in diameter and this is the basis for stage III disease, then at least 1 of the nodes must be cytologically or histologically positive * Unresectable disease * No totally resected tumors * Tumors adjacent to a vertebral body allowed provided all gross disease can be encompassed in the radiation boost field and the boost volume is limited to \< 50% of the ipsilateral lung volume * Measurable disease * Transudate, cytologically negative, non-bloody pleural effusions allowed provided the tumor can be encompassed within a reasonable field of radiotherapy * Pleural effusions seen on a chest CT scan are allowed provided they are not visible on a chest x-ray and are too small to tap * No asymptomatic or symptomatic brain metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Performance status * Zubrod 0-1 Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL (transfusion independent) Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * SGOT (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase) or SGPT (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase) ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN Renal * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL Cardiovascular * No significant history of cardiac disease * No uncontrolled hypertension * No unstable angina * No uncompensated congestive heart failure * No myocardial infarction within the past year * No cardiac ventricular arrhythmias requiring medication * LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction) normal by MUGA (multi-gated acquisition) scan or echocardiogram Pulmonary * No history of interstitial pneumonitis * No history of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring 3 or more hospitalizations within the past year * FEV_1 ≥ 1,200 cc * No active pulmonary infection unresponsive to conventional antibiotics Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 weeks after study therapy * Glucose ≤ 2 times ULN * No more than 5% weight loss within the past 3 months * No known allergy to murine proteins or Cremophor EL * No neuropathy grade 2 or greater * No other malignancy within the past 2 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other in situ cancers PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No prior drugs that target the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway * No prior chimerized monoclonal antibody therapy * No other concurrent immunotherapy * No concurrent colony-stimulating factors (i.e., filgrastim \[G-CSF\] and sargramostim \[GM-CSF\]) * Concurrent epoetin alfa allowed Chemotherapy * No prior systemic chemotherapy * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * No concurrent hormonal therapy except hormones for non-disease-related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes) or steroids for acute symptom management, adrenal failure, septic shock, or as antiemetics Radiotherapy * No prior thoracic or neck radiotherapy * No concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy Surgery * Recovered from prior exploratory thoracotomy * No prior surgical resection of the present cancer Other * More than 30 days since prior participation in another clinical trial * No concurrent participation in another clinical trial * No other concurrent anticancer therapy * No amifostine during or for 3 months after study radiotherapy