OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the response rate to carboplatin and paclitaxel in elderly patients with metastatic or recurrent unresectable non-small cell lung cancer. II. Determine the toxicity of this regimen in these patients. III. Determine if the hypothesized lack of social support impacts the recruitment of elderly patients into clinical trials. IV. Determine if a previously validated tool of functional status in the elderly predicts treatment related toxicity superior to that predicted by the ECOG performance status in this patient population.