Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) (limited to mycosis
fungoides)

- Stage IB-IVA disease

- No other cutaneous lymphomas including, but not limited to, CD30-positive
large-cell T-cell lymphoma, lymphomatoid papulosis, and pagetoid reticulosis

- No visceral disease (stage IVB CTCL)

- Must have received 1-3 prior systemic regimen(s), including psoralen ultraviolet
light therapy (PUVA)

- No CNS disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy

- More than 4 months

Hematopoietic

- Neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3

- Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3

- WBC > 4,000/mm^3

- Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

Hepatic

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

- SGOT or SGPT < 3 times upper limit of normal

- PTT ≤ 40 seconds

- No active hepatitis B or C

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

- No unstable angina

- No New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure

- No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

- No uncontrolled atrial or ventricular cardiac arrhythmias

- No other significant cardiovascular disease

Immunologic

- HIV negative

- No autoimmune or antibody-mediated disease, including any of the following:

- Systemic lupus erythematosus

- Rheumatoid arthritis

- Multiple sclerosis

- Sjögren's syndrome

- Autoimmune thrombocytopenia

- Controlled thyroid disease allowed

- Autoantibodies without clinical autoimmune disease allowed

- No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar composition to
CpG 7909

- No fever ≥ 38.2°C within the past 24 hours

- No serious, symptomatic, significant local or systemic infection, including urinary
tract infection

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 weeks after study
participation

- No suspected or confirmed poor compliance, mental instability, or prior or current
alcohol or drug abuse that would preclude study participation or giving informed
consent

- No other medical history, including laboratory results, that would preclude study
participation

- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell or completely excised
non-invasive squamous cell skin cancer or squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the
cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- No concurrent denileukin diftitox

- No other concurrent immunotherapy, including but not limited to, interleukin-2,
interferon (IFN) alfa, or IFN gamma

Chemotherapy

- At least 4 weeks since prior systemic chemotherapy for CTCL

- No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

- No concurrent topical or systemic corticosteroids

Radiotherapy

- At least 4 weeks since prior electron beam therapy for CTCL

- No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

- More than 6 months since prior coronary angioplasty

Other

- At least 2 weeks since prior topical therapy for CTCL

- At least 3 weeks since prior phototherapy for CTCL

- At least 4 weeks since prior photopheresis for CTCL

- At least 4 weeks since other prior systemic therapy for CTCL

- At least 4 weeks since prior daily systemic cholecalciferol (vitamin D) > 15,000 IU
for CTCL

- At least 4 weeks since prior oral retinoids, including bexarotene for CTCL

- At least 4 weeks since prior investigational therapy for CTCL

- No prior treatment for hepatitis B or C

- More than 2 weeks since prior systemic antibiotics for CTCL

- Patients receiving systemic antibiotics for CTCL must be on a stable regimen for
at least 2 weeks before study entry

- More than 30 days since prior participation in an investigational drug trial

- No concurrent chloroquine phosphatase

- No concurrent anticoagulant therapy except aspirin (≤ 325 mg/day)

- No concurrent phototherapy

- No concurrent photopheresis therapy

- No concurrent bexarotene

- No concurrent immunosuppressants

- No other concurrent investigational drugs