Phase II Evaluation of Gemcitabine- Rituximab-Oxaliplatin Combination (GROC) in Relapsed Aggressive Lymphomas

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with refractory or relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The definition of refractory includes patients who either did not respond to prior therapy or those whose best response was a PR after at least 4 courses of chemotherapy. Aggressive histologies include follicular large cell, diffuse large cell, peripheral T cell, transformed lymphomas, Lymphoblastic lymphomas, Burkitt and Burkitt like lymphomas.
• Histologic or cytological confirmation of refractory or relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is desirable but not mandatory and will be left to the discretion of the investigator.
• Must have measurable or evaluable disease.
• No more than 4 previous regimens of chemotherapy will be allowed, including stem cell or bone marrow transplant.
• Patients must be more than 18 years old.
• No evidence of grade 3 or more neurosensory or neuromotor dysfunction (see appendix- toxicity criteria)
• Written Consent
• Those patients who have previously received a platinum or nucleoside analogue-containing regimen are eligible.
• Patients who are candidates for stem cell or marrow transplant will be included

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with a previous or concurrent history of cancer with the exception of: 1-treated carcinoma in situ of cervix or breast. 2- treated squamous or basal cell skin cancer, or 3- any other surgically cured malignancy from which the patient has been disease free for at least 5 years.
• HIV positive patients and those with Hepatitis B or C will be excluded from this protocol.
• Patients with severe neuropathy will be excluded.
• Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy within the previous 3 weeks prior to entering study.