| Inclusion Criteria: | 1) Patients with a diagnosis of previously untreated aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including patients with mantle cell lymphoma, who will be or are receiving treatment with R-HyperCVAD and R-Ara-C/MTX. Patients in whom Rituximab is not used, due to contraindication, will be eligible. Patients whose therapy was switched to (R)Hyper-CVAD after initial treatment with (R)CHOP, because of aggressive disease will also be eligible for the study.
2) Patients age >/= 18 years.
3) Karnofsky Performance Scale >/= 70.
4) Adequate hematologic (ANC >/= 1000/mm(3), platelet count >/= 100,000/mm(3) and Hgb >/= 8gm/dL), renal (serum creatinine < 2mg/dL), and hepatic functions (total bilirubin </= 2 times, SGPT or SGOT </= 3 times the upper limit of the respective normal range).
5) Patients (male and female) with childbearing potential (defined as not post-menopausal for 12 months or no previous surgical sterilization) must use adequate birth control.
6) IRB-approved signed informed consent. |