OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the overall, partial, and complete response rates in patients with stage IIIB-IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer treated with bryostatin 1 and paclitaxel. II. Determine the overall survival and time to tumor progression in patients treated with this regimen. III. Determine the T cell subset analysis and serum levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in these patients after receiving bryostatin 1 and correlate with clinical endpoints.