Gefitinib and Sirolimus in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• * Stage IIIB or IV disease
• Recurrent or refractory disease
• * Received ≥ 1 prior platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen
• Unidimensionally measurable disease that has not been irradiated
• No newly diagnosed untreated brain metastases or spinal cord compression
• Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue or slides available
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Adequate bone marrow function
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Adequate hepatic function
• No severe or uncontrolled hepatic disease
• Renal
• Adequate renal function
• Creatinine ≤ 3.0 times upper limit of normal
• No severe or uncontrolled renal disease
• Cardiovascular
• Adequate cardiac function
• No severe or uncontrolled cardiac disease
• No uncontrolled hyperlipidemia
• Pulmonary
• No unstable or uncompensated respiratory disease
• No clinically active interstitial lung disease
• * Patients with chronic stable radiographic changes who are asymptomatic are eligible
• Gastrointestinal
• Able to take oral medication
• No gastrointestinal condition (e.g., peptic ulcer disease) that would affect absorption
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No serious infection
• No known severe hypersensitivity to gefitinib or any of its excipients
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other severe or uncontrolled systemic disease
• No significant clinical disorder or laboratory finding that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• More than 14 days since prior biologic therapy
• No prior cetuximab, panitumumab, or bevacizumab
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Recovered from prior oncologic or other major surgery
• No prior gastrointestinal surgery affecting absorption
• No concurrent surgery, including ophthalmic surgery, during and for 1 week after study treatment
• Other
• Recovered from all prior therapy
• More than 30 days since prior investigational agents
• No other prior HER1/epidermal growth factor receptor axis agents, including the following:
• * Gefitinib
• * Erlotinib
• * CI-1033
• * Lapatinib
• No other prior vascular endothelial growth factor axis agents, including the following:
• * ZD6474
• * Vatalanib
• No concurrent CYP3A4 inducers, including the following:
• * Phenytoin
• * Carbamazepine
• * Rifampin
• * Phenobarbital
• * Barbiturates
• * Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
• No other concurrent systemic treatment for the malignancy
• No concurrent bisphosphonates for symptomatic bone metastases
• No concurrent systemic retinoids