RATIONALE: Collecting and storing stem cells to study in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about collecting stem cells from patients who have undergone treatment for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.

PURPOSE: This laboratory study is collecting stem cells from patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.

OBJECTIVES:

• Harvest and store adequate CD34+ stem cells from patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) for potential future use in transplantation strategies.
• Evaluate the ability to harvest stem cells after therapy for WM (e.g., fludarabine-based chemotherapy) by evaluating the number of days to adequate harvest.
• Collect aliquots of stem cells for future research analysis as part of a WM database project.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo collection of autologous stem cells beginning on day 4 or 5 and continuing until an adequate number of stem cells are collected. Cells are then cryopreserved.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 40 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM)
• Less than 30% lymphoplasmacytoid cells in bone marrow by histopathology
• Received prior chemotherapy for WM

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-1
• WBC > 2,000/mm³
• Platelet count > 50,000/mm³
• LVEF ≥ 50%
• No organ dysfunction that would preclude future transplantation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics