Irinotecan in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

First relapse requires histologic confirmation of relapse
No CNS metastases
No lymphomatous meningitis
Measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

15-75

Performance status:

Zubrod 0-2

Life expectancy:

At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

Unless due to lymphoma:

Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm^3
Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL

Hepatic:

Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
SGOT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (no greater than 5 times ULN if liver involvement)

Renal:

Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
Baseline calcium less than 12 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

No myocardial infarction within 6 months
No congestive heart failure requiring therapy

Other:

No history of seizures
No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (i.e., random blood sugar of at least 250 mg)
No other concurrent severe disease
No uncontrolled infection
HIV negative
No psychoses
No prior malignancy except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ cancer of the cervix unless surgically treated and disease free for at least 5 years
Not pregnant or lactating
Effective contraception required of fertile patients

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

No prior bone marrow transplantation

Chemotherapy:

No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for treatment of lymphoma
No prior irinotecan, topotecan or aminocamptothecin
At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

Not specified

Radiotherapy:

At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy
Radiotherapy that is not a part of a combined-modality therapy is counted as a regimen (see Chemotherapy)

Surgery:

Not specified

Other:

No phenytoin, phenobarbital, or other antiepileptic prophylaxis