Carboplatin, Ixabepilone, and Cetuximab in Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Previously Untreated With Chemotherapy

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer * Chemotherapy-naive * Stage IIIB disease not amenable to surgery with pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or not a candidate for chemoradiotherapy * Stage IV disease * Must have pathology block or unstained slides from initial or subsequent diagnosis * Diagnosis made via a core biopsy (not a fine-needle aspirate) required * Measurable disease as defined by RECIST guidelines * For patient who received prior radiotherapy, evaluable disease must be outside of the radiation field, or have new lesions that developed within the radiation field * Brain metastasis allowed provided it has been treated and determined to be controlled by the treating physician * No IgE cetuximab antibody PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-1 * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL * Creatinine \< 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN in the presence of hepatic metastasis) * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN * Prior malignancy allowed provided the treating physician determines that the patient's life expectancy is best defined by diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 by NCI CTCAE v. 3.0 * No prior severe allergic reaction to any of the following: * Carboplatin * Taxane therapy * Monoclonal antibody * Hypersensitivity (NCI CTCAE grade3-4) to a drug formulated in Cremophor® EL (polyoxyethylated castor oil) * No active or uncontrolled infection * No significant history of uncontrolled cardiac disease including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Uncontrolled hypertension * Unstable angina * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * Uncontrolled congestive heart failure * Cardiomyopathy with decreased ejection fraction * No underlying interstitial lung disease PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 1 week since prior and no concurrent therapeutic radiotherapy * Palliative radiotherapy for painful bone lesions allowed * At least 6 months since prior adjuvant chemotherapy * No investigational agent(s) within the past 30 days * Not requiring concurrent treatment with any of the following: * Ketoconazole * Itraconazole * Ritonavir * Amprenavir * Indinavir * Nelfinavir * Delavirdine * Voriconazole * No other concurrent chemotherapy or cetuximab