Vorinostat, Carboplatin, and Paclitaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

This randomized phase II trial is studying carboplatin, paclitaxel, and vorinostat to see how well they work compared with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and a placebo in treating patients with stage III or stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Vorinostat may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether giving carboplatin and paclitaxel together with vorinostat is more effective than giving carboplatin and paclitaxel together with a placebo in treating non-small cell lung cancer