Chemoradiation is standard treatment for patients with unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, local and distant relapse rates remain high. It has been postulated that the addition of consolidation chemotherapy might further decrease the systemic relapse rate. We performed this phase II study to evaluate the toxicities and activity of two cycles of paclitaxel and carboplatin administered prior to and following thoracic radiation in patients with locally advanced, inoperable NSCLC. From April to December 1997, 25 patients were entered on study. Twenty-three patients were eligible and received paclitaxel 225 mg/m(2) intravenously over 3 h followed by carboplatin at an AUC (6) on days 1 and 22. Radiation consisted of 60 Gy given over 6 weeks beginning on day 43. Patients with non-progressive disease received two additional cycles of consolidation carboplatin and paclitaxel. Four of 23 patients progressed during induction chemotherapy. There were seven PR's and 11 had SD after induction chemotherapy. Following radiation, the response changed to 11 PR, four SD, and three had progressive disease. Of the 15 patients eligible to receive consolidation chemotherapy, three were excluded due to a poor performance status. Twelve patients were treated with consolidation chemotherapy with further improvement in two patients (SD to PR, PR to CR). All 12 patients who received consolidation chemotherapy developed grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, including three patients with neutropenic fever. The overall response rate was 52.1%. The median survival, 1-, and 2-year survival was 10.5 months, 45, and 17%, respectively. In conclusion, consolidation chemotherapy was associated with significant hematologic toxicity without an obvious improvement in survival in comparison to other studies utilizing chemoradiation alone.