Tipifarnib in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Lymphoma

Exclusion Criteria

• •Any of the following as this regimen may be harmful to a developing fetus or nursing child:
• •* Pregnant women
• •* Breastfeeding women
• •* Men or women of childbearing potential or their sexual partners who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, birth control pills, injections, intrauterine device \[IUD\], surgical sterilization, subcutaneous implants, or abstinence, etc.)
• •* NOTE: The effects of R115777 on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose are unknown
• •Life-threatening illness (unrelated to tumor)
• •Ongoing radiation therapy or radiation therapy =\< 3 weeks prior to study registration unless the acute side effects associated with such therapy are resolved
• •Therapy with myelosuppressive chemotherapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, or biologic therapy =\< 3 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosourea or mitomycin C) or corticosteroids =\< 2 weeks, prior to starting R11577; patients may be on corticosteroids or tapering off them up until the day they start R11577 as long as it is clear that they are not having a tumor response to the steroids or that the steroids would confuse the interpretation of response to R11577; patients may be receiving stable (not increased within the last month) chronic doses of corticosteroids with a maximum dose of 20 mg of prednisone per day if they are being given for disorders other than lymphoma such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, adrenal insufficiency, or intractable symptoms of lymphoma
• •Peripheral neuropathy \>= grade 3
• •Serious non-malignant disease such as active infection or other condition which in the opinion of the investigator would compromise other protocol objectives
• •Presence of central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma
• •Other active malignancies
• •Once a patient begins FTI (tipifarnib) treatment, the addition of other cancer treatment will confound the assessment of efficacy and therefore is not allowed; this restriction precludes the addition of cytotoxic, immunologic agents, radiotherapy, or an increase in corticosteroid dose while the patient is in the treatment phase of this protocol
• •Known to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive; HIV testing is not required but should be done if clinically indicated; HIV patients are excluded because of concerns regarding excess risk of complications of immunosuppressive therapy regimens
• •Known allergy to imidazole drugs such as clotrimazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, econazole, fenticonazole, sulconazole, tioconazole, or terconazole