Study of Blood and Tissue Samples From Patients With Aggressive Non-Hodgkin B-Cell Lymphoma or Hodgkin Lymphoma

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To estimate the proportion of patients with diffuse large B-cell/immunoblastic and Burkitt histologies with elevated serum free light chains (FLC). * To estimate the proportion of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma with clonal immunoglobulin (Ig) DNA detection in the plasma. Secondary * To estimate the agreement between the detection of a monoclonal Ig DNA spike in plasma and the detection of a monoclonal DNA spike in tumor tissue. * To estimate the agreement between the fragment length of a spike in tumor tissue and the fragment length of the spike in plasma. * To estimate the detection rate of elevated FLC in each histology, including diffuse large B-cell/immunoblastic and Burkitt lymphoma. * To estimate the detection rate of clonal Ig DNA in each histology, including diffuse large B-cell/immunoblastic, Burkitt lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma. * To analyze clinical and pathologic correlates of detection by the serum/plasma tests: disease subtype, stage of disease, disease bulk, lactate dehydrogenase, and Ki-67 index. * To estimate the detection rate of clonotypic B-cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Blood and tissue samples collected at the time of diagnosis are analyzed for serum free light chain and clonal immunoglobulin (Ig) DNA rearrangements and circulating clonotypic B-cells via PCR. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients (25 with diffuse large B-cell/immunoblastic histologies, 15 with Burkitt lymphoma, and 10 with Hodgkin lymphoma) will be accrued for this study.