DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed lung cancer

  • All histologic types eligible
  • Recurrent or progressive disease after ≥ 1 prior chemotherapy regimen with or without radiotherapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status (PS) ≤ 2
• Karnofsky PS ≥ 60%
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other active invasive malignancy

• No uncontrolled illness including, but not limited to:

  • Ongoing or active infection
  • Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • Unstable angina pectoris
  • Cardiac arrhythmia
• No psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
• No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to topotecan or vinorelbine ditartrate

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior therapy with topotecan or vinorelbine ditartrate
• No chemotherapy within the past 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C)
• Recovered from agents administered > 4 weeks earlier
• No other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent palliative radiotherapy
• No other concurrent anticancer therapies or agents

• No concurrent hormones or other chemotherapy except for the following:

  • Steroids for adrenal failure
  • Hormones for nondisease-related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes)
  • Intermittent dexamethasone as an antiemetic