Blood Stem Cell Transplant With Low Dose Chemotherapy for Relapsed Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (BMT CTN 0701)

Follicular NHL, a type of blood cancer, is the second most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with approximately 15,000 new cases being diagnosed each year in the United States. Chemotherapy is a common treatment option for people with NHL, and at first most people achieve cancer remission with initial chemotherapy. However, after the initial chemotherapy, people with this disease typically experience a continuous pattern of relapse that results in progressively shorter remission durations. A blood stem cell transplant is another treatment option for people with follicular NHL. In a blood stem cell transplant procedure, healthy blood stem cells are taken from a donor and transplanted into the patient. The cells can be donated by a family member or an unrelated donor who has a similar tissue type. Typically, people who are undergoing a blood stem cell transplant receive high doses of chemotherapy before the transplant to prepare their bodies to accept the donor stem cells. In this study, participants will undergo a type of stem cell transplant called a nonmyeloablative transplant, which involves a reduced intensity method of transplantation that does not require high doses of chemotherapy. The purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of a nonmyeloablative allogeneic blood stem cell transplant at improving survival rates in people with relapsed follicular NHL. This study will enroll people with relapsed follicular NHL. At a baseline study visit, participants will undergo a medical history review, physical examination, blood collection, lung function testing, computed tomography (CT) scans, a bone marrow biopsy, and questionnaires to assess quality of life. Participants will be admitted to the hospital and on various days in the 2 weeks before the transplant, they will receive fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, rituximab, which are cancer medications, and tacrolimus, a medication that will help prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which is an attack by the donor cells on the body's normal tissues. Participants will then undergo the blood stem cell transplant. At various times during the 2 weeks after the transplant, participants will receive rituximab and methotrexate, which is another medication to prevent GVHD. They will also receive tacrolimus for at least 6 months to help prevent GVHD. Participants will remain in the hospital for as long as necessary to recover from the transplant. Follow-up study visits will occur weekly for Weeks 1 to 14, and then at Months 6, 12, 18, and 24. At each study visit, select baseline procedures will be repeated.