RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the feasibility of short term chemotherapy with the Stanford V regimen (mechlorethamine, doxorubicin, vinblastine, prednisone, vincristine, bleomycin, and etoposide) followed by, as indicated, consolidative radiotherapy in patients with stage IIB, IIIA, IIIB, or IV Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• Determine the initial response to 8 weeks of Stanford V chemotherapy in these patients.
• Assess the complete and partial response rate to 12 weeks of Stanford V chemotherapy in these patients.
• Determine the acute toxicity associated with this treatment.
• Determine the disease free interval and survival following Stanford V chemotherapy with or without consolidative radiotherapy in these patients.

OUTLINE: All patients are treated on Regimen A with the Stanford V Regimen; those with initial bulky, residual, or splenic disease who achieve a CR/PR proceed to Regimen B.

• Regimen A: Patients receive mechlorethamine IV on weeks 1, 5, and 9; doxorubicin and vinblastine IV on weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11; vincristine and bleomycin IV on weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12; etoposide IV over 30-45 minutes for 2 consecutive days on weeks 3, 7, and 11; and prednisone orally every other day on days 1-84. Treatment continues for 8-12 weeks, depending on response, in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• Regimen B: Patients begin radiotherapy 2-4 weeks after completion of Regimen A. Patients receive radiotherapy to lungs, pleura, and other extralymphatic sites for approximately 5 weeks.

Patients are followed for survival.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients will be entered if at least 16 of the first 22 patients respond. As of 03/96, it is expected that a total of 45 patients each with stage III/IV disease and 40 with unfavorable stage II disease will be accrued.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed Hodgkin's lymphoma of any histology

• Unfavorable disease required

  • Clinical stage IIIA, IIIB, IV, or IIB (non-bulky)

  • Locally extensive stage I or II with either of the following:

    • Mediastinal mass greater than 1/3 the maximum intrathoracic diameter
    • Two or more extranodal sites

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 to 60

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Other:

• No prior malignancy except nonmelanomatous skin cancer
• No significant concurrent illness that precludes protocol participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• No prior treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma

Biologic therapy

• Not specified

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• Not specified