Cetuximab and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) * Stage IIIA or IIIB disease * Must be a candidate for curative radiotherapy * Not a candidate for other concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy * No surgical treatment available * No pleural effusion suspected or proven to be malignant * No stage IV disease by bone scan or positron emission tomography scan, CT scan or MRI of the brain, and CT scan of the chest within the past 30 days PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age \* 18 and over Performance status * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2 (age ≥ 65 years) * ECOG 2 (age 18 to 64 years) Life expectancy \* At least 12 weeks Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST ≤ 3 times ULN Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN Pulmonary * FEV\_1 ≥ 1 L * No idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Magnesium normal * No uncontrolled infection * No other severe underlying disease that would preclude study entry * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or noninvasive carcinoma * No major psychiatric illness that would preclude study participation PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy \* Not specified Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * No prior chemotherapy for NSCLC Endocrine therapy \* Not specified Radiotherapy * No prior therapeutic radiotherapy to the chest * No concurrent intensity modulated radiotherapy Other \* No prior epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors