Celecoxib and Erlotinib in Treating Former Smokers With Stage IIIB or Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Criteria:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) meeting 1 of the following stage criteria: Stage IIIB with pleural effusion; Stage IV disease; recurrent or progressive disease after prior surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy
• If the sole prior treatment was in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting, tumor progression or recurrence must have occurred within 6 months after completion of prior treatment
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count >= 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin >= 10 g/dL
• Hemostasis normal
• Creatinine =< 2.0 mg/dL
• No significant cardiovascular disease
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV cardiac disease
• No uncontrolled dysrhythmia
• No unstable angina
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• FEV1 >= 1.0 liter OR 40% of predicted within the past 3 months
• Oxygen saturation >= 90% on room air
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 6 months after study treatment
• Willing to undergo bronchoscopy
• No allergy to sulfonamides or hypersensitivity reaction to celecoxib
• No other medical or psychological condition (e.g., acute psychosis) that would preclude study participation
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin)
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Prior complete resection allowed provided there is histologic and cytologic documentation of disease recurrence
• More than 3 months since prior chemopreventative agents (e.g., oltipraz, retinoids, or N-acetylcysteine [NAC])
• No prior erlotinib hydrochloride
• No other prior EGFR antagonists
• No concurrent medication known to interact with erlotinib hydrochloride or celecoxib, including the following: Fluconazole, Lithium, Furosemide, Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, Phenytoin, Carbamazepine, Rifampin, Barbiturates, Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
• No concurrent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Concurrent aspirin of up to an average dose of 325 mg/day allowed
• No aspirin treatment for 7 days prior to any bronchoscopic or skin biopsy
• No other concurrent EGFR inhibitors or cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors
• Meets 1 of the following criteria: 1) Advanced NSCLC with at least stable disease after >= 4 courses of platinum-containing chemotherapy 2) Relapsed or refractory disease after treatment with >= 1 prior platinum-containing chemotherapy program, including adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy for NSCLC
• No untreated brain metastases
• ECOG 0-1
• Former smoker, as indicated by the following: 1) At least a 30 pack-year smoking history 2) Smoking duration at least 10 years 3) At least 12 months of self-reported smoking cessation 4) Negative urine cotinine