Vaccine Therapy Plus Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Stage III, Stage IV, or Recurrent Follicular Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically proven follicular center cell lymphoma with surface immunoglobulin (Ig) M, G, or A phenotype

  * Grade I (follicular small cleaved cell)
  * Grade II (follicular mixed small and large cell)
  * Grade III (follicular large cell)
* Stage III, IV, or recurrent disease
* Previously untreated with chemotherapy or monoclonal antibody therapy OR
* Recurrent, residual disease or progressive disease after prior prednisone, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (PACE) chemotherapy
* Peripheral lymph node of at least 2 cm and accessible for biopsy/harvest
* No primary or secondary CNS lymphoma
* Must not have any of the following:

  * Rapidly progressing lymphadenopathy
  * Bone marrow failure secondary to lymphoma
  * B symptoms
  * Neurovascular or organ compromise secondary to lymphoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy:

* More than 1 year

Hematopoietic:

* Not specified

Hepatic:

* ALT/AST no greater than 3.5 times upper limit of normal
* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL unless secondary to Gilbert's disease
* Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
* Hepatitis C antibody negative

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Other:

* HIV negative
* No active infection
* No other prior or concurrent malignancy except curatively treated squamous cell or basal cell skin cancer or effectively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No other concurrent biologic therapy for lymphoma

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 3 months since prior PACE chemotherapy
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* At least 2 weeks since prior steroid treatment
* Less than 2 months of prior prednisone
* No concurrent endocrine therapy for lymphoma

Radiotherapy:

* Prior radiotherapy to no more than 1 site allowed
* At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Lymph node biopsy performed within past month