Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma meeting the following
criteria:

- Stage III or IV disease

- Grade 1, 2, or 3 disease requiring systemic first-line treatment

- No transformation to diffuse large cell lymphoma

- At least 1 bidimensionally measurable lesion meeting 1 of the following criteria:

- Lymph nodes > 1.5 cm x 1.0 cm by physical exam or CT scan

- Other non-nodal lesion ≥ 1.0 cm x 1.0 cm by MRI or CT scan OR ≥ 1.0 cm x 1.0 cm
(e.g., skin lesions or nodules) by physical exam

- Must have a medical indication for treatment, as indicated by 1 of the following:

- Presence of constitutional symptoms that are attributed to lymphoma (e.g., B
symptoms, including night sweats, fever, weight loss, fatigue, or pain)

- Lymphadenopathy that requires treatment based on presence of associated
symptoms, potential threat to organ function (e.g., ureteric compromise from
retroperitoneal disease), or degree of enlargement (i.e., > 5 cm)

- Impairment of normal organ function (e.g., impaired hematopoiesis due to marrow
involvement by lymphoma or from splenomegaly and hypersplenism)

- Immune-related complications of lymphoma that require therapy

- Rate of disease progression for which observation is deemed inappropriate

- No history of any other lymphoproliferative disorder or evidence of transformation to
an aggressive histology lymphoma

- No known CNS involvement by lymphoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm^3*

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3*

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN

- AST or ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver involvement with lymphoma)

- Able (i.e., sufficiently fluent) and willing to complete the quality of life
questionnaires in either English or French

- Inability (illiteracy in English or French, loss of sight, or other equivalent
reason) to complete the questionnaires will not make the patient ineligible for
the study

- No history of other malignancies, except for the following:

- Adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer

- Curatively treated in situ cancer of the cervix

- Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast (as long as radiation limitation is not
exceeded)

- Other solid tumors curatively treated with no evidence of disease for > 5 years

- No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds containing boron or mannitol

- No history of an unusual or severe allergic reaction to rituximab or similar agent

- No pre-existing neuropathy ≥ grade 2

- No known HIV infection

- No other serious illness or medical condition that would preclude study
participation, including any of the following:

- Active, uncontrolled bacterial, fungal, or viral infection

- Significant cardiac dysfunction

- Cardiovascular disease NOTE: *Exceptions will be allowed for values below these
thresholds in patients with marrow involvement by lymphoma or lymphoma-related
hypersplenism

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No prior systemic therapy for lymphoma

- No prior bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, or vincristine

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy that involved ≤ 25% of functioning bone
marrow and recovered

- Exceptions may be made for low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy or if the
irradiated field is not a significant marrow-bearing area

- At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery

- No other concurrent anticancer therapy, investigational agents, corticosteroids
(except for physiologic replacement or antiemesis), cytotoxic chemotherapy, or
immunotherapy