Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically proven relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

- Scheduled to undergo high-dose chemotherapy (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and
melphalan) with autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cell transplantation

- No metastatic disease involving the bone marrow

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

- 17 to 65

Performance status:

- ECOG 0 or 1

Life expectancy:

- Not specified

Hematopoietic:

- Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

- No active hepatitis B or C

- Bilirubin less than 2.5 times normal*

- SGOT or SGPT less than 2.5 times normal*

- Alkaline phosphatase less than 2.5 times normal NOTE: * Unless Gilbert's syndrome
present

Renal:

- Creatinine clearance greater than 50 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

- Cardiac ejection fraction normal

Pulmonary:

- DLCO at least 50% predicted

- FEV_1 and FVC at least 75% predicted

Other:

- HIV negative

- Not pregnant

- Negative pregnancy test

- No non-neoplastic disease that would preclude intensive chemotherapy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

- See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy:

- See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy:

- Not specified

Radiotherapy:

- No prior external beam radiotherapy to more than 25% of the active bone marrow

Surgery:

- Not specified