Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Rituximab in Treating Patients With Relapsed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically proven stage III or IV follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)
• * Relapsed after or no response (no change/progressive disease) to no more than 2 adequate non-anthracycline-containing systemic chemotherapy regimens
• * At least 2 months of single-agent therapy (e.g., chlorambucil) AND/OR
• * At least 2 consecutive courses of polychemotherapy (e.g., cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone) or purine analogues
• Complete or partial remission or no change for at least 4 weeks after completion of prior therapy OR progression during one of a maximum of 2 prior therapy regimens
• CD20 positive
• At least 1 bidimensionally measurable mass
• No greater than 10,000,000/mL circulating tumor cells
• IgG levels at least 3 g/L
• No low-grade NHL transformed into intermediate- or high-grade NHL
• No symptomatic CNS lymphoma
• No bone marrow involvement only NOTE: A new classification scheme for adult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been adopted by PDQ. The terminology of "indolent" or "aggressive" lymphoma will replace the former terminology of "low", "intermediate", or "high" grade lymphoma. However, this protocol uses the former terminology.
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• WHO 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• Not specified
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.5 times ULN
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 2.5 times ULN
• BUN less than 2.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular:
• No severe cardiac disease (i.e., severe heart failure requiring symptomatic treatment)
• Pulmonary:
• No severe pulmonary disease
• Other:
• No severe neurologic or psychiatric disease
• No severe metabolic disease
• Not pregnant
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No prior malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other cancer curatively treated with surgical therapy
• HIV negative
• No uncontrolled asthma or allergy requiring steroids
• No known hypersensitivity or prior anaphylactic reaction to murine proteins or any component of study drug
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No prior rituximab
• No prior allogeneic or autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation
• Concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) for stem cell mobilization allowed
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior anthracyclines or mitoxantrone
• No concurrent chemotherapy for stem cell mobilization
• Endocrine therapy:
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy:
• Not specified
• Surgery:
• Not specified