Investigation of Safety, Tolerability and Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) of BI 2536 in Patients With Recurrent Advanced Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL)

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), including any of the following subtypes:

  * B-cell NHL, including any of the following subtypes:

    * Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
    * Primary mediastinal (thymic) B-cell lymphoma
    * Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma
    * Immunoblastic B-cell lymphoma
    * Mantle cell lymphoma
    * Burkitt's lymphoma
    * Follicular grade 3b lymphoma
  * T-cell NHL, including any of the following subtypes:

    * Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
    * Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified
* De novo or transformed disease
* Refractory (i.e., disease not amenable to standard therapy) or relapsed disease, as evidenced by 1 of the following:

  * Refractory to OR relapsed after ≥ 1 prior combination chemotherapy regimen
  * Refractory to OR relapsed after prior CD20-based immunotherapy (for patients eligible to receive such therapy)
  * Refractory after prior high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation AND ≥ 100 days post transplantation
* At least 1 bidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 1.5 cm by CT scan, MRI, x-ray, or clinical examination
* No active CNS lymphoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Performance status

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
* No known coagulopathy

Hepatic

* ALT and/or AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (\< 5 times ULN if due to hepatic lymphoma)
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

Immunologic

* No known HIV infection
* No serious active infection that requires IV antibiotics or antifungal or antiviral agents

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective double-method contraception during and for 1 year after completion of study treatment
* No known or suspected alcohol or drug abuse
* No sensory or motor neuropathy ≥ grade 3
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer
* No other life-threatening illness or organ dysfunction that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* See Radiotherapy
* More than 3 weeks since prior and no concurrent immunotherapy
* No prior allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Chemotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 3 weeks since prior and no concurrent chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)

Endocrine therapy

* No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

* No prior radiotherapy to the only site of measurable disease unless there is documented disease progression after completion of radiotherapy
* More than 8 weeks since prior and no concurrent systemic radioimmunotherapy
* More than 3 weeks since prior and no concurrent radiotherapy

  * Concurrent palliative radiotherapy to sites other than the only measurable target lesion allowed for symptom control provided the reason for radiotherapy does not reflect progressive disease

Other

* No concurrent warfarin for therapeutic anticoagulation