Gene Therapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven non-small cell lung cancer with at least 1 lesion accessible for endobronchial or percutaneous injection Measurable or evaluable disease Must have a requirement for palliative radiotherapy to the thorax Clinically stable enough to undergo 3 adenovirus injections PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: ECOG 0 or 1 Life expectancy: At least 12 weeks Hematopoietic: Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3 Hepatic: PT and PTT normal Renal: Not specified Cardiovascular: No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease Other: No active systemic viral, bacterial, or fungal infection requiring treatment No concurrent illness requiring hospitalization or IV medications or psychologic, familial, sociologic, geographic, or other concurrent condition that would preclude adequate follow up and compliance Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception HIV negative PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No prior adenoviral gene therapy Any number of any type of other prior biologic therapy allowed Chemotherapy: Any number of any type of prior chemotherapy allowed At least 2 weeks since prior systemic cancer therapy and no worse than grade 2 toxicity in any organ Endocrine therapy: Any number of any type of prior endocrine therapy allowed Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics No prior radiotherapy greater than 50 Gy if prior and concurrent radiation fields include the spinal cord No prior radiotherapy in fraction sizes greater than 2 Gy with the spinal cord in the concurrent radiation field Surgery: At least 4 weeks since surgical resection of lung tissue At least 2 weeks since any other prior surgery requiring general anesthesia and recovered