Gene Therapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically proven non-small cell lung cancer with at least 1 lesion accessible for endobronchial or percutaneous injection * Measurable or evaluable disease * Must have a requirement for palliative radiotherapy to the thorax * Clinically stable enough to undergo 3 adenovirus injections PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: * 18 and over Performance status: * ECOG 0 or 1 Life expectancy: * At least 12 weeks Hematopoietic: * Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3 Hepatic: * PT and PTT normal Renal: * Not specified Cardiovascular: * No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease Other: * No active systemic viral, bacterial, or fungal infection requiring treatment * No concurrent illness requiring hospitalization or IV medications or psychologic, familial, sociologic, geographic, or other concurrent condition that would preclude adequate follow up and compliance * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * HIV negative PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: * No prior adenoviral gene therapy * Any number of any type of other prior biologic therapy allowed Chemotherapy: * Any number of any type of prior chemotherapy allowed * At least 2 weeks since prior systemic cancer therapy and no worse than grade 2 toxicity in any organ Endocrine therapy: * Any number of any type of prior endocrine therapy allowed Radiotherapy: * See Disease Characteristics * No prior radiotherapy greater than 50 Gy if prior and concurrent radiation fields include the spinal cord * No prior radiotherapy in fraction sizes greater than 2 Gy with the spinal cord in the concurrent radiation field Surgery: * At least 4 weeks since surgical resection of lung tissue * At least 2 weeks since any other prior surgery requiring general anesthesia and recovered