Purpose

RATIONALE: Surgery with or without internal radiation therapy may be an effective treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Internal radiation uses radioactive material placed directly into or near a tumor to kill tumor cells. Stereotactic body radiation therapy may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue. It is not yet known whether stereotactic body radiation therapy is more effective than surgery with or without internal radiation therapy in treating non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well surgery with or without internal radiation therapy works compared with stereotactic body radiation therapy in treating patients with high-risk stage IA or stage IB non-small cell lung cancer.