Polyglutamate Paclitaxel Plus Carboplatin Compared With Paclitaxel Plus Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy is more effective in treating stage IIIB, stage IV, or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of polyglutamate paclitaxel plus carboplatin to that of paclitaxel plus carboplatin in treating patients who have stage IIIB, stage IV, or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.