Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

OBJECTIVES:

Determine if increasing the methotrexate dose in combination with standard treatment is feasible in patients with advanced small noncleaved cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Assess the toxicity of this intensified therapy in these patients.
Assess the feasibility of treating these patients that have CNS disease at diagnosis with this intensified therapy plus etoposide and ifosfamide.
Assess toxicities and late effects of this intensive therapy on the central nervous system, cardiac function, and fertility in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to stage and disease (stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) vs stage IV NHL with no CNS involvement vs stage IV NHL with CNS involvement vs B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL) with no CNS involvement vs B-ALL with CNS involvement).

Patients receive methotrexate and cytarabine intrathecally on days 1, 4, 11, and 36 (on day 40 for patients with stage IV NHL or B-ALL only) in combination with alternating courses of: A) cyclophosphamide IV every 12 hours for a total of six doses on days 1-3, doxorubicin IV over 30 minutes on day 4, vincristine IV on days 4 and 11, dexamethasone IV or orally twice daily on days 1-5, and filgrastim (G-CSF) subcutaneously (SQ) or IV over 30 minutes beginning on day 5 and continuing until blood counts recover and B) methotrexate IV over 24 hours on day 18, methotrexate intrathecally on day 18, dexamethasone IV or orally twice daily on days 18-22, leucovorin calcium IV or orally every 6 hours for a total of 6 doses on days 20-21, cytarabine IV over 48 hours on days 20-21, and G-CSF SQ or IV over 30 minutes beginning on day 22 and continuing until blood counts recover. Patients with stage III NHL receive at total of 5 courses of treatment (A-B-A-B-A) and patients with stage IV NHL or B-ALL with no CNS involvement receive a total of 6 courses of treatment (A-B-A-B-A-B).

Patients with CNS involvement receive a third course of treatment: C) etoposide IV over 1 hour on days 36-40, ifosfamide IV over 1 hour on days 36-40, oral dexamethasone twice daily on days 36-40, and G-CSF SQ or IV over 30 minutes beginning on day 41 and continuing until blood counts recover. Patients with CNS involvement receive a total of 7 courses of treatment (A-B-C-A-B-A-B).

Patients are followed every 6 months for 4 years and then annually thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 27-80 patients will be accrued for this study over 24 months.