Oblimersen in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) confirmed by both of the following:

  * Bone marrow lymphoplasmacytosis with greater than 10% lymphoplasmacytic cells or aggregates, sheets, lymphocytes, plasma cells, or lymphoplasmacytic cells on bone marrow biopsy
  * Measurable disease, defined by quantitative IgM monoclonal protein greater than 1,000 mg/dL
* Symptomatic relapsed or refractory disease requiring therapy, defined by at least 1 of the following:

  * Impaired bone marrow function due to disease infiltration as demonstrated by any of the following:

    * Hemoglobin less than 11 g/dL
    * Requires epoetin alfa therapy to maintain hemoglobin of at least 11 g/dL
    * Platelet count less than 100,000/mm\^3
  * Symptomatic bulky lymphadenopathy
  * Symptoms attributable to hyperviscosity (e.g., nose bleeding, gingival bleeding, or retinal hemorrhage) or serum viscosity level relative to water greater than 4
* Received at least 1 prior chemotherapy regimen which included chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, cladribine, or pentostatin
* No secondary leukemia or history of antecedent hematologic disorder (e.g., myelodysplasia) prior to initial onset of WM
* Performance status - ECOG 0-2
* Not specified
* See Disease Characteristics
* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm\^3\*
* Platelet count at least 50,000/mm\^3\*
* No bleeding disorder
* Bilirubin no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST less than 1.5 times ULN
* Albumin at least 2.5 g/dL
* PT no greater than 1.5 times ULN
* INR no greater than 1.3
* PTT no greater than 1.5 times ULN
* No history of chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis
* Creatinine no greater than 2 times ULN
* No uncontrolled congestive heart failure
* No active symptoms of coronary artery disease, including the following:

  * Uncontrolled arrhythmias
  * Recurrent chest pain despite prophylactic medication
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
* No grade 2 or greater cardiovascular signs and symptoms within the past 4 weeks
* HIV negative
* Direct Coombs' test negative
* No autoimmune thrombocytopenia
* No uncontrolled serious infection
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Adequate venous access for 7-day continuous infusion of study drug
* Intellectual, emotional, and physical ability to maintain an ambulatory infusion pump
* No other cancer except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for at least 5 years
* No known hypersensitivity to phosphorothioate-containing oligonucleotides
* No uncontrolled seizure disorder
* More than 21 days since prior immunotherapy for WM
* More than 21 days since prior cytokine, biologic, or vaccine therapy for WM
* More than 8 weeks since prior plasmapheresis or plasma exchange
* No prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation
* No concurrent plasmapheresis or plasma exchange
* See Disease Characteristics
* No concurrent corticosteroid therapy
* More than 21 days since prior radiotherapy for WM
* More than 21 days since prior major surgery for WM
* No prior organ allograft
* Recovered from all prior therapy
* More than 21 days since other prior therapy for WM
* No other concurrent investigational therapy
* No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs
* No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation therapy