Immunotoxin in Treating Patients With Leukemia or Lymphoma

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or leukemia in one of the following categories: * Adult T-cell leukemia or lymphoma (ATL) * No smoldering ATL * No limitation on prior therapy * Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) * Stages IB-III and failed at least 1 standard therapy * Stage IV regardless of prior therapy * Stages I-IV peripheral T-cell lymphoma * Relapsed after standard chemotherapy * Ineligible for or refused salvage chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation (BMT) * B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of any histology * Indolent stages II-IV NHL * Failed at least 1 standard therapy * Disease symptomatic and requiring treatment * Aggressive NHL * Relapsed after standard chemotherapy * Ineligible for or refused salvage chemotherapy or BMT * Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) * Rai stages III and IV or Binet stage C * Failed standard therapy and at least 1 salvage chemotherapy * Primary B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia or prolymphocytic transformation of CLL * Failed standard therapy and at least 1 salvage chemotherapy * Hairy cell leukemia * Failed standard and salvage chemotherapy * Ineligible for or refused further salvage chemotherapy or BMT * Acute myelogenous leukemia * Failed standard chemotherapy * Ineligible for or refused salvage chemotherapy or BMT * Stages II-IV Hodgkin's disease * Failed standard chemotherapy * Ineligible for curative salvage radiotherapy or chemotherapy * Ineligible for or refused BMT * Patients with leukemias or lymphomas not easily classified in above categories who have failed standard therapy and are ineligible for or have refused bone marrow transplant * Evidence of interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (IL2Ra) expression by one of the following: * Greater than 10% of malignant cells reactive with anti-Tac by immunohistochemistry * Greater than 10% of malignant cells from a particular site positive by FACS * Greater than 400 IL2Ra sites per malignant cell by radiolabeled anti-Tac binding * Soluble IL2Ra level greater than 1,000 U/mL (normal geometric mean 235, with 95% confidence levels of 112-502 U) * Hodgkin's disease with measurable disease not amenable to biopsy * No CNS disease requiring treatment * Malignant cells in CSF allowed if judged not to represent clinically significant leukemic or lymphomatous meningitis (as in CSF contamination by blood) PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: * 18 and over Performance status: * Karnofsky 50-100% Life expectancy: * Greater than 2 months Hematopoietic: * Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,000/mm3\* * Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm3\* NOTE: \*nonleukemic patients Hepatic: * AST and ALT less than 5 times normal Renal: * Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL OR * Creatinine clearance greater than 50 mL/min Pulmonary: * FEV1, TLC, and DLCO greater than 50% of predicted if pulmonary or mediastinal involvement with tumor greater than one third of total thoracic diameter Other: * HIV negative * Not pregnant * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Serum must neutralize no more than 75% LMB-2 in tissue culture PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 weeks since prior interferon Chemotherapy: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy * At least 3 weeks since prior retinoids * No concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: * No concurrent corticosteroids unless begun at least 3 weeks prior to entry and dose not increased during 3 weeks prior to entry Radiotherapy: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 weeks since prior whole-body electron beam radiotherapy * Other radiotherapy allowed within 3 weeks of entry provided less than 10% of marrow irradiated and measurable disease exists outside radiation port Surgery: * Not specified Other: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 3 weeks since any prior systemic therapy * No other concurrent investigational agents