Rituximab, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide (RICE) Followed by Gallium Nitrate, Rituximab and Dexamethasone (GARD) for Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Must have histologically or cytologically confirmed diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma (WHO classification diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma), immunoblastic B cell lymphoma or Burkitts lymphoma. Transformed, large B-cell lymphoma will be excluded.
* Must have measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as \>10 mm with spiral CT scan.
* Must be refractory to initial therapy or have disease relapse from prior therapy and must be at least 3 weeks post treatment from prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
* Age \>18 years.
* Life expectancy \>24 weeks
* SWOG performance status \<1 (Karnofsky \>80%).
* Must have normal organ function (or impaired marrow function) as defined below:

  * leukocytes \> or equal to 1,500/mcL
  * absolute neutrophil count \>or equal to 1,000/mcL
  * platelets \>or equal to 50,000/mcL
  * total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
  * AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT)\<or equal to 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal unless due to lymphoma involvement
  * creatinine clearance \> than or equal to 60 mL/min
* Must agree not to become pregnant for the duration of study participation.
* Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 3 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study.
* Follicular B-cell lymphomas, small lymphocytic lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoblastic lymphomas and all T-cell lymphomas.
* Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents, within trials in the previous 4 weeks.
* Patients with known CNS metastases are excluded from this clinical trial.
* History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to gallium nitrate, rituximab, dexamethasone, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and/or etoposide.
* Prior therapy with gallium nitrate, ifosfamide, carboplatin and/or etoposide
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
* Pregnant and women who are nursing are excluded from this study.
* Because patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy, HIV-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study because of possible pharmacokinetic interactions with RICE and/or GaRD.