DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed bronchoalveolar carcinoma

  • No fine needle aspirates or bronchial brushings or washings
  • Multi-focal or diffuse tumors
• Stage IIIB disease due to cytologically confirmed malignant pleural effusion OR
• Stage IV disease
• Evidence of disease by CT scan of chest
• Incompletely resected or unresectable disease
• No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• Zubrod 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• WBC at least 3,000/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if bone metastases present)

Renal:

• Not specified

Cardiovascular:

• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No uncontrolled concurrent illness
• No ongoing or active infection
• No gastrointestinal tract disease that would preclude oral medication intake or cause requirement for IV alimentation
• No corneal inflammation or infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer in complete remission

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy
• No prior biologic therapy that targets epidermal growth factor receptor

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to areas of assessable disease

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Recovered from prior surgery
• No prior surgical procedure affecting gastrointestinal absorption

Other:

• No other concurrent therapy for bronchoalveolar carcinoma
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent agents that induce CYP3A4 (e.g., nafcillin, rifampin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and St. John's wort)