Vaccine Therapy and Sargramostim Compared With Placebo and Sargramostim Following Rituximab in Treating Patients With Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)
• * Grade 1, 2, or 3
• Meets 1 of the following criteria for treatment with rituximab:
• * Treatment naïve
• * Relapsed or refractory disease after prior chemotherapy
• * Relapsed after a prior documented response (i.e., complete or partial response) to rituximab of at least 6 months duration
• Tumor accessible for biopsy OR existing biopsy material (taken within the past 6 months) suitable for vaccine preparation
• Measurable or evaluable disease after tumor tissue procurement for vaccine production
• No more than 2 prior treatment regimens for NHL
• * Single regimens include any of the following:
• * Maintenance rituximab
• * Rituximab administered once weekly for 8 courses
• * Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) plus rituximab\* NOTE: \*CHOP followed by rituximab at time of relapse is considered 2 treatment regimens
• No history of CNS lymphoma or meningeal lymphomatosis
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3 (unless related to bone marrow involvement by lymphoma)
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10g/dL
• Hepatic
• Not specified
• Renal
• Not specified
• Cardiovascular
• No congestive heart failure
• Pulmonary
• No compromised pulmonary function
• Immunologic
• HIV negative
• No prior allergic response to GM-CSF
• No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No psychiatric disorder that would preclude study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 2 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other serious nonmalignant disease that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• See Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy
• No prior radiolabeled anti-lymphoma antibody (e.g., iodine I 131 tositumomab or ibritumomab tiuxetan)
• No prior autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation
• No prior lymphoma-specific idiotype immunotherapy (e.g., Id vaccine)
• No prior investigational vaccine or immunotherapeutic containing keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• More than 9 months since prior fludarabine
• More than 2 years since prior chemotherapy/rituximab combination therapy (e.g., CHOP/rituximab or cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone \[CVP\]/rituximab)
• No more than 6 total prior treatment courses with fludarabine
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent steroids for allergic reaction to sargramostim (GM-CSF)
• Radiotherapy
• See Biologic therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• At least 4 weeks since prior experimental therapy
• No concurrent systemic immunosuppressive therapy
• No other concurrent anti-lymphoma therapy