Gemcitabine and Vinorelbine in Treating Young Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed Hodgkin's lymphoma\* with any of the following histologies:

  * Not otherwise specified (NOS)
  * Mixed cellularity NOS
  * Lymphocytic depletion

    * NOS
    * Diffuse fibrosis
    * Reticular
  * Lymphocytic predominance

    * NOS
    * Diffuse
    * Nodular
  * Paragranuloma
  * Granuloma
  * Sarcoma
  * Nodular sclerosis

    * Cellular phase
    * NOS
    * Lymphocytic predominance
    * Mixed cellularity
    * Lymphocytic depletion NOTE: \*Disease metastatic to bone marrow with granulocytopenia and/or thrombocytopenia is allowed, but is not evaluable for hematological toxicity
* Measurable disease by clinical or radiographic criteria
* Relapsed or refractory to conventional therapy

  * Received at least 2 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens
* No stage IA or IIA nodal disease previously treated with any of the following:

  * Radiotherapy only
  * No more than 4 courses of prior chemotherapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 30 and under

Performance status

* Karnofsky 50-100% (over 16 years of age)
* Lansky 50-100% (16 and under) OR
* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* At least 8 weeks

Hematopoietic

* See Disease Characteristics
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 750/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3 (transfusion independent, defined as ≥ 3 days since prior platelet transfusion)

Hepatic

* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

Renal

* Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR
* Creatinine based on age as follows:

  * No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (age 5 and under)
  * No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (age 6 to 10)
  * No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (age 11 to 15)
  * No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (over age 15)

Pulmonary

* DLCO ≥ 50%
* FEV\_1 ≥ 50%
* Vital capacity ≥ 50%
* No evidence of dyspnea at rest
* No exercise intolerance

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
* Seizure disorder allowed provided patient is on anticonvulsants and disorder is well controlled
* No evidence of active graft-versus-host disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Recovered from prior immunotherapy
* At least 6 months since prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT)
* At least 7 days since prior biologic agents
* More than 3 months since prior autologous SCT
* More than 1 week since prior growth factors
* No concurrent immunomodulating agents

Chemotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 2 weeks since prior myelosuppressive chemotherapy (4 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
* No prior gemcitabine and vinorelbine in combination (i.e., administered within 1 week of each other)

  * Prior gemcitabine or vinorelbine administered alone is allowed
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* No concurrent steroids, including corticosteroids as an antiemetic or for control of graft-versus-host disease

  * Concurrent corticosteroids allowed only for the following indications:

    * Adrenal crisis in patients with suppressed pituitary/adrenal response
    * Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
    * Allergic reactions to amphotericin or transfusions treated with low-dose hydrocortisone (less than 100 mg/m\^2)

Radiotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* Concurrent immunosuppressive drugs allowed