Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)

- Grade 1, 2, or 3

- Meets 1 of the following criteria for treatment with rituximab:

- Treatment naïve

- Relapsed or refractory disease after prior chemotherapy

- Relapsed after a prior documented response (i.e., complete or partial response)
to rituximab of at least 6 months duration

- Tumor accessible for biopsy OR existing biopsy material (taken within the past 6
months) suitable for vaccine preparation

- Measurable or evaluable disease after tumor tissue procurement for vaccine production

- No more than 2 prior treatment regimens for NHL

- Single regimens include any of the following:

- Maintenance rituximab

- Rituximab administered once weekly for 8 courses

- Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) plus
rituximab* NOTE: *CHOP followed by rituximab at time of relapse is
considered 2 treatment regimens

- No history of CNS lymphoma or meningeal lymphomatosis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm^3 (unless related to bone marrow involvement by lymphoma)

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10g/dL

Hepatic

- Not specified

Renal

- Not specified

Cardiovascular

- No congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

- No compromised pulmonary function

Immunologic

- HIV negative

- No prior allergic response to GM-CSF

- No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No psychiatric disorder that would preclude study participation

- No other malignancy within the past 2 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or
carcinoma in situ of the cervix

- No other serious nonmalignant disease that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- See Chemotherapy

- At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

- No prior radiolabeled anti-lymphoma antibody (e.g., iodine I 131 tositumomab or
ibritumomab tiuxetan)

- No prior autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation

- No prior lymphoma-specific idiotype immunotherapy (e.g., Id vaccine)

- No prior investigational vaccine or immunotherapeutic containing keyhole limpet
hemocyanin (KLH)

Chemotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

- More than 9 months since prior fludarabine

- More than 2 years since prior chemotherapy/rituximab combination therapy (e.g.,
CHOP/rituximab or cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone [CVP]/rituximab)

- No more than 6 total prior treatment courses with fludarabine

Endocrine therapy

- No concurrent steroids for allergic reaction to sargramostim (GM-CSF)

Radiotherapy

- See Biologic therapy

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery

- Not specified

Other

- At least 4 weeks since prior experimental therapy

- No concurrent systemic immunosuppressive therapy

- No other concurrent anti-lymphoma therapy