Gemcitabine and Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed non-small cell cancer

Recurrent disease after adjuvant treatment OR progressive disease after 1 prior treatment for recurrent or metastatic disease

Received at least 1 prior chemotherapy regimen and meets the following criteria:

No more than 1 prior chemotherapeutic regimen in the recurrent or metastatic setting

Patients who received prior chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting are eligible when 1 of the following criteria is met:

In first recurrence (after 1 prior regimen)
Received first-line chemotherapy in the recurrent setting after 2 prior regimens

Measurable disease

Must have ≥ 1 measurable target lesion outside prior radiotherapy field OR radiologic confirmation of disease progression within a prior radiotherapy field

No known or untreated brain metastases or carcinomatous meningitis

Clinically stable, treated brain metastases allowed provided it has been > 7 days since prior steroids

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

ECOG performance status 0-1
Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³
Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
Able to swallow oral medication
No concurrent medical condition that would preclude study compliance
No history of allergic reaction to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to gemcitabine hydrochloride or imatinib mesylate

No uncontrolled illness that would preclude study compliance, including any of the following:

Symptomatic congestive heart failure
Unstable angina pectoris
Cardiac arrhythmia requiring therapy
Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
Active infection
No New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure
No chronic liver disease (i.e., chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis)
No HIV positivity
No other primary malignancies within the past 5 years, except carcinoma in situ of the cervix or nonmelanoma skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

See Disease Characteristics
At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
At least 3 weeks since prior anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy and recovered
At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
More than 28 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational or commercial agents
More than 2 weeks since prior major surgery
No prior gemcitabine hydrochloride or imatinib mesylate for metastatic disease
No prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor, except for gefitinib or erlotinib hydrochloride
No concurrent therapeutic warfarin (prophylactic warfarin therapy ≤ 1 mg daily allowed)
No other concurrent medications that would preclude study compliance
No concurrent chronic systemic corticosteroids