GM-CSF With or Without Vaccine Therapy After Combination Chemotherapy and Rituximab as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. 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. Colony-stimulating factors, such as GM-CSF, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help the immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. Vaccines made from a person's cancer cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill cancer cells. It is not yet known whether giving GM-CSF together with vaccine therapy is more effective than giving GM-CSF together with a placebo when given after combination chemotherapy and rituximab in treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying GM-CSF and vaccine therapy to see how well they work compared to GM-CSF and placebo when given after combination chemotherapy and rituximab as first-line therapy in treating patients with stage II, stage III, or stage IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

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