RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving rituximab together with combination chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving rituximab together with combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with newly diagnosed stage II, stage III, or stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Investigate plasma DNA biomarkers, including plasma clonal immunoglobulin DNA, tumor suppressor gene methylation, and Epstein-Barr virus DNA, in patients receiving rituximab and doxorubicin hydrochloride, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) for newly diagnosed stage II-IV classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• Characterize the impact of rituximab on these markers.
• Characterize the relationship between marker detection and clinical outcome.

Secondary

• Estimate the event-free survival of patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with rituximab and ABVD.
• Assess the presence of Hodgkin's lymphoma stem cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at baseline, after treatment with rituximab, and after treatment with ABVD.
• Assess whether plasma DNA biomarkers add information to fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in assessing tumor response.

OUTLINE: Patients receive doxorubicin hydrochloride IV, vinblastine IV, bleomycin IV, and dacarbazine IV (ABVD) on days 1 and 15 of all courses. Patients also receive rituximab IV on days -6, 1, 8, 15, and 22 of ABVD course 1 and on day 1 only of ABVD courses 2, 4, and 6. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 6-8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients with bulky disease may undergo radiotherapy.

Plasma samples are obtained during treatment for investigation of tumor markers (e.g., immunoglobulin rearrangement, patterns of DNA methylation, and the presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA). Patients undergo fludeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography periodically during the study.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 35 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed classical Hodgkin's lymphoma

  • No lymphocyte-predominant histology
  • Stage II, III, or IV disease
  • Newly diagnosed disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Performance status 0-2
• Creatinine < 2.0 mg/dL
• Bilirubin < 5 mg/dL
• Not pregnant or nursing
• No HIV positivity
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• No active concurrent malignancy except for superficial nonmelanoma skin cancer or cervical carcinoma in situ

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Steroids allowed if medically required before chemotherapy initiation

Adverse events were tracked monthly for up to six months.

Only the following adverse events were collected for this study: all grade 3-5 toxicities; any previously-undescribed toxicity potentially attributable to the addition of the rituximab to the ABVD regimen, regardless of grade; any toxicity associated with infusion of rituximab, regardless of grade.