Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed, Relapsed, or Chemotherapy-Resistant Mantle Cell Lymphoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed mantle cell lymphoma meeting 1 of the following criteria:
• * Newly diagnosed
• * Chemotherapy resistant
• * Relapsed disease after no more than 2 prior lines of chemotherapy
• Measurable disease
• * At least 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 11 mm by CT scan
• No prior or current CNS lymphoma or lymphomatous meningosis
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• WHO 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 (1,000/mm\^3 in case of bone marrow infiltration)
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 (75,000/mm\^3 in case of bone marrow infiltration)
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2 times ULN
• AST and ALT ≤ 2 times ULN
• No active hepatitis
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• No congestive heart failure
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No significant cardiac arrhythmia or arrhythmia requiring chronic treatment
• No myocardial infarction within the past 3 months
• Immunologic
• No active autoimmune disease
• No ongoing infection (e.g., HIV)
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 12 months after study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• No gastric ulcers
• No other uncontrolled medical condition that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent thalidomide
• Chemotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• Prior radiotherapy allowed provided indicator lesions were not in the irradiated field
• No concurrent radiotherapy to the lungs or mediastinum
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 30 days since prior systemic anticancer treatment
• More than 30 days since prior clinical trial participation
• No other concurrent anticancer drugs
• No other concurrent experimental drugs