Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Followed By LMB-2 Immunotoxin in Treating Patients With Hodgkin's Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histopathologically confirmed CD25+ Hodgkin's lymphoma

  * At least 20% of the malignant cells positive by immunohistochemistry
  * Stage II-IV disease
* Meets the following criteria:

  * Failed standard chemotherapy
  * Not eligible for curative salvage radiotherapy or chemotherapy
  * Not eligible for or refused bone marrow transplantation
* Measurable disease
* No patient whose serum neutralizes LMB-2 immunotoxin in tissue culture, due either to antitoxin or antimouse-IgG antibodies
* No patient whose serum neutralizes \> 75% of the activity of 1 µg/mL of LMB-2 immunotoxin

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 50,000/mm³
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
* Albumin ≥ 3.0 g/dL
* Bilirubin ≤ 2.2 mg/dL (\< 5 mg/dL if Gilbert's syndrome is present)
* Creatinine ≤ 1.4 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
* No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness or social situations that would limit study compliance
* No HIV or hepatitis C positivity

  * Hepatitis B surface antigen positivity allowed provided patient is receiving lamivudine
* LVEF ≥ 45%
* DLCO ≥ 50% of normal OR FEV\_1 ≥ 60% of normal
* No active second malignancy requiring treatment

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy within the past 4 weeks
* No systemic steroids (except stable doses of prednisone ≤ 20 mg/day) within the past 4 weeks
* No monoclonal antibody therapy within the past 12 weeks
* No prior LMB-2 immunotoxin
* No concurrent warfarin