Bortezomib and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Relapsed B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

OBJECTIVES: Primary: I. To evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining VELCADE (bortezomib) with gemcitabine (gemcitabine hydrochloride) in patients with recurrent lymphoma after standard therapy. II. To define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of gemcitabine and Rituxan (rituximab) administered in combination with VELCADE given on a 21-day (old schema - Schema I) or 28-day (amended schema - Schema II) schedule. Secondary: I. To obtain preliminary data for response to this regimen in this patient population. OUTLINE: This is a phase I, dose-escalation study of bortezomib and gemcitabine hydrochloride followed by a phase II study. Patients receive bortezomib intravenously (IV), gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 3-4 hours, and rituximab IV on days 1 and 15. Treatment repeats every 28 days for at least 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically.