Irinotecan in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• * First relapse requires histologic confirmation of relapse
• No CNS metastases
• No lymphomatous meningitis
• Measurable disease
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 15-75
• Performance status:
• Zubrod 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• Unless due to lymphoma:
• * Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• * Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• * Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (no greater than 5 times ULN if liver involvement)
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• Baseline calcium less than 12 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No myocardial infarction within 6 months
• No congestive heart failure requiring therapy
• Other:
• No history of seizures
• No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (i.e., random blood sugar of at least 250 mg)
• No other concurrent severe disease
• No uncontrolled infection
• HIV negative
• No psychoses
• No prior malignancy except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ cancer of the cervix unless surgically treated and disease free for at least 5 years
• Not pregnant or lactating
• Effective contraception required of fertile patients
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No prior bone marrow transplantation
• Chemotherapy:
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for treatment of lymphoma
• No prior irinotecan, topotecan or aminocamptothecin
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Radiotherapy that is not a part of a combined-modality therapy is counted as a regimen (see Chemotherapy)
• Surgery:
• Not specified
• Other:
• No phenytoin, phenobarbital, or other antiepileptic prophylaxis