Platinum Doublet Chemotherapy and Proton Beam Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage II-III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

This randomized phase II trial studies how well platinum doublet chemotherapy and proton beam radiation therapy work in treating patients with stage II-III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, paclitaxel, etoposide, cisplatin, and pemetrexed work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy protons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving platinum doublet chemotherapy and proton beam radiation therapy may work better in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer.