Liposomal Doxorubicin Followed By Bexarotene in Treating Patients With Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as liposomal doxorubicin and bexarotene, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Bexarotene may also cause cutaneous T-cell lymphoma cells to look more like normal cells, and to grow and spread more slowly. Giving liposomal doxorubicin followed by bexarotene may be an effective treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving liposomal doxorubicin followed by bexarotene works in treating patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the progression-free survival of patients with stage IB-IV cutaneous T-cell lymphoma treated with doxorubicin HCl liposome followed by bexarotene. Secondary * Determine the complete and partial response rate in patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is an open-label, multicenter study. Patients receive doxorubicin HCl liposome IV over 30-90 minutes once on day 1. Treatment repeats every 2 weeks for 8 courses. Beginning within 4 weeks after the last dose of doxorubicin HCl liposome, patients receive oral bexarotene once daily for at least 16 weeks. Patients who achieve a complete or partial response may continue to receive bexarotene in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for 5 years.