Bortezomib, Combination Chemotherapy, and Rituximab as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

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