Sorafenib and High-Dose Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To determine the median survival from randomization for patients receiving carboplatin and paclitaxel with high-dose radiation therapy (HDRT) or same regimen with sorafenib tosylate. Secondary * To determine the overall response rate, failure-free survival, and survival for patients receiving carboplatin/paclitaxel with 74 Gy HDRT or same regimen with sorafenib tosylate. * To determine the feasibility of concurrent sorafenib tosylate and chemoradiation as measured by safety (the rate of grade 3 or higher radiation related esophagitis or pulmonary toxicity or chemotherapy related grade 4 hematological or other non-hematological toxicities occurring within 60 days of the start of treatment) and compliance (the completion of the treatment regimen with no more than minor variations). * To correlate outcomes (survival, toxicity, quality of life) with biological parameters. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. * Phase I: * Chemoradiotherapy: Patients receive paclitaxel IV over 60 minutes and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats weekly for 7 weeks. Patients undergo concurrent high-dose external beam radiotherapy (HDRT) 5 days a week for 7.5 weeks. Cohorts of patients also receive escalating doses of oral sorafenib tosylate twice daily for 7 weeks. * Consolidation therapy: Beginning at week 11, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 6 weeks. Patients also receive oral sorafenib tosylate at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) twice daily. * Maintenance: Patients receive oral sorafenib tosylate twice daily at the MTD. * Phase II: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I: * Chemoradiotherapy: Patients receive paclitaxel, carboplatin, and HDRT as in phase I. * Consolidation therapy: Patients receive paclitaxel and carboplatin as in phase I. * Arm II: * Chemoradiotherapy: Patients receive paclitaxel, carboplatin, and HDRT as in phase I. Patients also receive oral sorafenib tosylate as in phase I at the MTD. * Consolidation therapy: Patients receive paclitaxel, carboplatin, and sorafenib tosylate at the MTD as in phase I. * Maintenance: Patients receive sorafenib tosylate at the MTD as in phase I. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 2 years.