- Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC. Patients must have metastatic disease, stage IIIB with malignant pleural effusion, or be otherwise unsuitable for potentially curative therapy due to bulk of disease or comorbid medical illness. There must be disease apparent on imaging which offers a medical indication for radiation therapy. Palliative radiotherapy would be offered as appropriate standard therapy outside of a study setting. (NOTE: Radiotherapy utilized in this regimen is the same as that which would be offered as standard treatment outside of this study). Indications for palliative radiation include pain, pathologic fracture or risk of fracture, lymphovascular obstruction, bronchial obstruction, neural impingement, dyspnea, or bleeding.