DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of one of the following hematopoietic malignancies:

  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia or myeloid leukemia with < 30% blasts in the bone marrow
  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
  • Chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic or accelerated phase
  • Relapsed non-Hodgkin's or Hodgkin's lymphoma in at least partial remission

• Considered at high risk (> 30%) of toxic death with standard hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), as indicated by at least one of the following:

  • Creatinine > 1.5 times normal OR creatinine clearance < 70 mL/min OR tubular damage that is not corrected by cessation of chemotherapy
  • DLCO < 60% of predicted OR history of prior intubation due to lung disease (intubation for surgery excluded)
  • Shortening fraction < 30%

  • History of disseminated fungal infection during chemotherapy OR currently receiving antifungal agents OR history of ≥ 2 septic episodes (confirmed by cultures) that required ICU support

    • Patients with improving fungal or other infections eligible

      • Improving infection is defined as confirmed negative cultures on 2 separate occasions, at least 1 week apart, and/or stable or improving imaging studies (e.g., CT scan) of the infected site
      • Two imaging studies taken at least 2 weeks apart must show stable or improved disease
  • History of stroke or abnormal MRI/MRA OR leukoencephalopathy OR seizures that are not fully controlled with anticonvulsants (> 2 episodes of seizures in the preceding year or 1 episode of status epilepticus in a patient who is receiving anticonvulsant therapy)
  • History of prior significant bleeding (e.g., pulmonary, CNS, or gastrointestinal) OR history of a clotting disorder as manifested by prior significant thromboses (e.g., superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, or femoral vein)

• Failed conventional therapies and not eligible for myeloablative protocols

  • May have failed prior conventional HSCT
• No active CNS leukemia

• Unrelated or related donor available, meeting the following criteria:

  • Matched for at least 7/8 loci by high-resolution typing
  • One mismatch at A, B, or C loci allowed
  • Fully matched at DRB1 locus

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2 OR Karnofsky PS 60-100%
• No active/progressing viral, bacterial, protozoal, or fungal infection
• Transaminases ≤ 5 times normal (except in the presence of autoimmune liver disease)
• Shortening fraction ≥ 25%
• DLCO ≥ 40% OR pulse oximetry ≥ 85% on room air
• Glomerular filtration rate ≥ 40 mL/min

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior prolonged intensive chemotherapy (> 3 years of therapy or ≥ 3 different chemotherapeutic protocols) allowed