Pemetrexed Disodium and Cisplatin in Treating Patients Who Are Undergoing Surgery for Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Microscopically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer
• * Stage IB (T2, N0, M0), IIA (T1, N1, M0), IIB (T2, N1, M0 or T3, N0, M0), or IIIA (T1-3, N1-2, M0) disease
• * Satellite lesions in one lobe (T4) (stage IIIB) allowed
• Meets 1 of the following criteria:
• * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 10 mm in the longest diameter
• * Evaluable disease, defined as lesions on chest CT scan that are not measurable (e.g., ill-defined masses or mediastinal or hilar adenopathy)
• No metastatic disease except peribronchial/hilar lymph nodes (N1) or ipsilateral/subcarinal mediastinal lymph nodes (N2)
• * No N3 lymph nodes (e.g., contralateral mediastinal/hilar or supraclavicular/scalene) by CT scan or positron emission tomography (PET) scan AND mediastinoscopy
• * No T4 primary tumor (e.g., mediastinal invasion)
• No malignant pleural effusion
• * Nonmalignant effusions (i.e., negative cytology, non-bloody, and transudate) allowed
• * Effusions visible only by CT scan and not large enough for safe thoracentesis allowed
• No exudative effusion, defined by 1 of the following criteria:
• * Pleural fluid protein:serum protein ratio \> 0.5
• * Pleural fluid lactic dehydrogenase (LDH):serum LDH ratio ≥ 0.6
• * Pleural fluid LDH \> 200 IU/L
• No more than 1 area of fludeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake outside the area of the primary lung tumor OR evidence of malignant pleural disease as evidenced by pleural nodules by PET scan
• * Single areas of FDG uptake will be further evaluated (e.g., by biopsy) for metastatic disease
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT or SGPT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
• No other active malignancy within the past 2 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical situation that would preclude study compliance
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• No prior chemotherapy for lung cancer
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy for lung cancer
• Surgery
• No prior surgery for lung cancer
• At least 12 weeks since prior major surgery to the chest and abdomen
• Other
• No concurrent aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for ≥ 2 days before (5 days for drugs with a long half-life \[e.g., naproxen, piraoxicam, difunisal, nabumetone, rofecoxib, or celecoxib\] or 8 days for long acting agents), during, and for 2 days after completion of each pemetrexed disodium administration
• No concurrent participation in another study involving chemotherapy or radiotherapy