Gemcitabine and Vinorelbine in Treating Young Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed Hodgkin's lymphoma\* with any of the following histologies:
• * Not otherwise specified (NOS)
• * Mixed cellularity NOS
• * Lymphocytic depletion
• * NOS
• * Diffuse fibrosis
• * Reticular
• * Lymphocytic predominance
• * NOS
• * Diffuse
• * Nodular
• * Paragranuloma
• * Granuloma
• * Sarcoma
• * Nodular sclerosis
• * Cellular phase
• * NOS
• * Lymphocytic predominance
• * Mixed cellularity
• * Lymphocytic depletion NOTE: \*Disease metastatic to bone marrow with granulocytopenia and/or thrombocytopenia is allowed, but is not evaluable for hematological toxicity
• Measurable disease by clinical or radiographic criteria
• Relapsed or refractory to conventional therapy
• * Received at least 2 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens
• No stage IA or IIA nodal disease previously treated with any of the following:
• * Radiotherapy only
• * No more than 4 courses of prior chemotherapy
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 30 and under
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 50-100% (over 16 years of age)
• Lansky 50-100% (16 and under) OR
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• At least 8 weeks
• Hematopoietic
• See Disease Characteristics
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 750/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent, defined as ≥ 3 days since prior platelet transfusion)
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR
• Creatinine based on age as follows:
• * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (age 5 and under)
• * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (age 6 to 10)
• * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (age 11 to 15)
• * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (over age 15)
• Pulmonary
• DLCO ≥ 50%
• FEV\_1 ≥ 50%
• Vital capacity ≥ 50%
• No evidence of dyspnea at rest
• No exercise intolerance
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• Seizure disorder allowed provided patient is on anticonvulsants and disorder is well controlled
• No evidence of active graft-versus-host disease
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Recovered from prior immunotherapy
• At least 6 months since prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT)
• At least 7 days since prior biologic agents
• More than 3 months since prior autologous SCT
• More than 1 week since prior growth factors
• No concurrent immunomodulating agents
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 2 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No prior gemcitabine and vinorelbine in combination (i.e., administered within 1 week of each other)
• * Prior gemcitabine or vinorelbine administered alone is allowed
• No other concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent steroids, including corticosteroids as an antiemetic or for control of graft-versus-host disease
• * Concurrent corticosteroids allowed only for the following indications:
• * Adrenal crisis in patients with suppressed pituitary/adrenal response
• * Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
• * Allergic reactions to amphotericin or transfusions treated with low-dose hydrocortisone (less than 100 mg/m\^2)
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• Concurrent immunosuppressive drugs allowed