Vorinostat and Combination Chemotherapy Before Donor Stem Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of Relapsed Aggressive B-cell or T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. Estimate the progression-free survival (PFS) time. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Estimate the day 100 non-relapse mortality (NRM) of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo SCT) using vorinostat/gemcitabine/clofarabine/busulfan (SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu) with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-CY). II. Estimate the graft versus host disease (GVHD)-free/relapse free survival (GRFS) in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. III. Estimate the overall survival (OS) in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. IV. Assess the 1-year NRM in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. V. Assess the relapse rate in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. VI. Assess the graft failure rate in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. VII. Assess the time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. VIII. Assess the incidence of grade 2-4 and grade 3-4 acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. IX. Assess the overall and severe chronic GVHD in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. X. Determine the incidence of grade 3 and 4 nonhematological adverse events in patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. TERTIARY OBJECTIVE: I. Describe changes of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage response and repair, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition and downstream cellular effects in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC), and, when available, malignant lymphocytes obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) of peripheral lymph nodes of patients with refractory lymphoma receiving an allo SCT with SAHA/Gem/Clo/Bu with PT-CY. OUTLINE: Patients receive a low-level "test" dose of busulfan intravenously (IV) over up to 1 hour on days -15 to -9, vorinostat orally (PO) once daily (QD) on days -8 to -4, gemcitabine IV over about 90 minutes on days -7 and -5, clofarabine IV over about 1 hour and high-dose busulfan IV over 3 hours on days -7 to -4. Patients with CD20 positive (+) lymphoma also receive rituximab IV over 3 to 6 hours on days -15, -8, 1, and 8. Patients undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) on day 0. Patients then receive cyclophosphamide IV over 2 hours on days 3 and 4. Beginning day 5, patients receive standard of care tacrolimus IV over 24 hours and mycophenolate mofetil IV over 2 hours three times daily (TID) until they can be tolerated PO. Once tolerated PO, patients receive tacrolimus PO twice daily (BID) for 6 months and mycophenolate mofetil PO TID for up to 30 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After 30 days, patients who develop GVHD continue treatment with mycophenolate mofetil at physician's discretion. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months after stem cell transplant, then every 6 months for 4 years.