Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) including the following:

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Transformed NHL
Follicular large cell lymphoma
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma
Unclassified aggressive histology (immunoblastic lymphoma)
Must have received 1 to 3 prior chemotherapy treatment regimens (may include doxorubicin up to a cumulative dose of no greater than 450 mg/m^2)
No Burkitt's lymphoma, lymphoblastic lymphoma, or mantle cell lymphoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

18 to 64

Performance status

WHO 0-1

Life expectancy

At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

Neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3*
Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3* NOTE: *Lower values may be accepted if evidence of bone marrow involvement

Hepatic

Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)**
Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2 times ULN**
AST or ALT no greater than 2 times ULN**
No history or clinical symptoms of hepatitis B or C virus NOTE: **Higher values may be accepted if evidence of liver involvement

Renal

Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

LVEF at least 50% by MUGA
No clinically significant cardiovascular abnormalities
No New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease
No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
No severe arrhythmia
No uncontrolled hypertension

Other

Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 6 months after study
No history or clinical symptoms of HIV
No clinically significant neurological abnormalities
No serious uncontrolled infection (NCI CTC grade 3-4)
No condition that would place the patient at undue risk or interfere with the study results

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

At least 3 months since prior radioimmunotherapy

Chemotherapy

See Disease Characteristics
At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
At least 1 year since prior platinum or cytarabine (unless complete response to treatment)
At least 2 years since prior fludarabine or nitrosoureas
No prior cumulative cisplatin greater than 600 mg/m^2

Endocrine therapy

Not specified

Radiotherapy

See Biologic therapy
At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
No prior radiotherapy to the whole pelvis

Surgery

At least 1 week since prior minor surgery and recovered
At least 4 weeks since prior major thoracic and/or abdominal surgery and recovered

Other

At least 1 month since prior investigational drugs
Recovered from prior therapy
No other concurrent investigational drugs