GM-CSF and Rituximab After Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologic diagnosis of grade 1, 2, 3, or transformed follicular lymphoma

Achieved a complete or partial response to last salvage therapy

Completed salvage therapy within the past 12 weeks
No disease progression since last salvage therapy

One of the following disease statuses must have been present prior to receiving salvage therapy

Refractory to last anti-lymphoma therapy
Last remission duration less than 1½ years if salvage therapy is 3rd regimen
Last remission duration less than 3 years if salvage therapy is 2nd regimen
Minimum of 2 x 10^6 CD34+ cells/kg cryopreserved and available for hematopoietic stem cell support
No leptomeningeal disease or brain parenchyma involvement

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Cardiac ejection fraction > 50%

If over 60 years of age, no evidence of cardiac ischemia by treadmill stress test (stress echo or sesta-MIBI)
Adjusted diffusing capacity ≥ 50% of the predicted value on pulmonary function testing
Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance > 50 mL/min
ANC > 1,000/μL
Platelet count > 50,000/μL
Total bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (≤ 3.0 mg/dL if Gilbert's disease is suspected)
Not pregnant or breast-feeding
Fertile patients must use an acceptable form of birth control
HIV I or II negative
No acute or chronic hepatitis B
No active hepatitis C
No medical illness (unrelated to non-Hodgkin lymphoma), including malignancies that, in the opinion of the attending physician and/or principal investigator, would preclude study treatment
No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated cutaneous basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

No more than 3 prior anti-lymphoma regimens, inclusive of the salvage therapy

Biologic agents (e.g., monoclonal antibodies and vaccines) administered as part of a planned treatment regimen will not be considered distinct regimens
Chemotherapy administered primarily for the purpose of stem cell mobilization (e.g., cyclophosphamide at 2-4 g/m²) will not be considered an anti-lymphoma regimen
No prior autologous or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation