DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)

  • Expression of cyclin D1 or evidence of t(11;14) translocation by cytogenetics, FISH, or polymerase chain reaction
• Refractory to or relapsed or progressed after first line antineoplastic therapy
• Measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

• Karnofsky performance status (PS) 50-100% OR ECOG PS 0-2
• ANC ≥ 1,000/mm³ (not related to lymphoma)
• Platelet count ≥ 30,000/mm³
• AST and ALT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Total bilirubin ≤ 2 times ULN
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 20 mL/min
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

Exclusion criteria:

• Known serological positivity for HBV, HCV, or HIV
• History of allergic reaction attributable to compounds containing boron or mannitol
• Diagnosed or treated for a malignancy other than MCL within the past 5 years except for completely resected basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or any in situ malignancy
• Active systemic infection requiring treatment
• Serious medical or psychiatric illness that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Inclusion criteria:

• Toxic effects of prior therapy or surgery must be resolved to ≤ grade 2
• Prior splenectomy or localized radiotherapy allowed

• Any prior chemotherapy regimen allowed

  • Chemotherapy may have been given in combination with rituximab
• Concurrent enrollment in a nontreatment study allowed, provided it does not interfere with participation in this study

Exclusion criteria:

• Prior bortezomib
• Antineoplastic therapy within the past 3 weeks
• Nitrosoureas within the past 6 weeks
• Rituximab, alemtuzumab (Campath®), or other unconjugated therapeutic antibody within the past 4 weeks
• Radiotherapy within the past 3 weeks
• Major surgery within the past 2 weeks
• Concurrent investigational agents