Bortezomib and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Relapsed B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed intermediate or high grade B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma with primary progressive or relapsed disease
* Patients may have had up to 4 prior chemo-and-or radiation therapy regiments, including one autologous transplant based protocol; any prior therapy (chemotherapy or radiation) must have been completed at least 4 weeks prior to start of this protocol; for prior high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant, a 6-week interval is required; all side effects must have resolved
* Karnofsky performance status \>= 60%
* Life expectancy of greater than 3 months
* Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500 mm\^3
* Platelets \>= 50,000 mm\^3
* Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 mg/dl
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) =\< 2.5 x institutional upper limit of normal
* Creatinine within normal institutional limits OR creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min for creatinine levels above institutional normal (calculated or measured)
* Cardiac ejection fraction of \> 40% by echocardiogram or multi gated acquisition (MUGA) scan
* Have no serious or intercurrent medical illness
* Voluntary written informed consent before performance of any study-related procedure not part of normal medical care, with the understanding that consent may be withdrawn by the subject at any time without prejudice to future medical care
* Female subject is either post-menopausal or surgically sterilized or willing to use an acceptable method of birth control (i.e., a hormonal contraceptive, intra-uterine device, diaphragm with spermicide, condom with spermicide, or abstinence) for the duration of the study
* Male subject agrees to use an acceptable method for contraception for the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient has a platelet count of \< 20 x 10\^9/L with 7 days before enrollment
* Patient has an absolute neutrophil count of \< 1.0 x 10\^9/L within 7 days before enrollment
* Patient has a calculated or measured creatinine clearance of \< 30 ml/min with 14 days before enrollment
* Patient has \>= Grade 2 peripheral neuropathy within 14 days before enrollment
* Patient has hypersensitivity to bortezomib, boron, or mannitol
* Female subject is pregnant or breastfeeding; confirmation that the subject is not pregnant must be established by a negative serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) pregnancy test result obtained during screening; pregnancy testing is not required for postmenopausal or surgically sterilized women
* Patient has received other investigational drugs with 14 days before enrollment
* Serious medical or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with participation in this clinical study
* Patients who have had more than 4 prior different chemotherapy regimens will be excluded; patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for autologous transplant regimens) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier
* Patients may not have previously received VELCADE or gemcitabine
* Patients with active central nervous system (CNS) involvement are not eligible
* Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy
* 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