Carboplatin With Either Paclitaxel Poliglumex or Paclitaxel in Treating Women With Stage IIIB, Stage IV, or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, paclitaxel, and paclitaxel poliglumex, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether giving carboplatin together with paclitaxel poliglumex is more effective than giving carboplatin together with paclitaxel in treating non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying carboplatin and paclitaxel poliglumex to see how well they work compared with carboplatin and paclitaxel in treating women with stage III, stage IV, or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.