DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)

  • Stage IB-IV disease

  • CD25-positive disease* meeting at least 1 of the following criteria:

    • At least 20% expression of CD25 on the lymphocytes in the skin at a site of a patch, plaque, or tumor
    • At least 20% of the peripheral blood Sézary cells must be CD25-positive NOTE: *CD25 expression status must have been determined within the past year
• Disease progression after at least 2 prior systemic or topical therapies
• Measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm^3 (500/mm^3 if blood or bone marrow involvement)
• Platelet count ≥ 50,000/mm^3 (10,000/mm^3 if blood or bone marrow involvement)

Hepatic

• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
• Albumin ≥ 3.0 g/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.2 mg/dL
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C negative by polymerase chain reaction
• No chronic liver disease

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• Ejection fraction normal by echocardiogram or nuclear medicine
• No symptomatic cardiac disease
• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia

Pulmonary

• DLCO ≥ 55% of normal
• FEV_1 ≥ 60% of normal
• No symptomatic pulmonary disease

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception
• HIV negative
• No other concurrent uncontrolled illness
• No active or ongoing infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No other active cancer requiring treatment

• No anti-toxin or anti-mouse immunoglobulin G antibodies as evidenced by serum neutralization of LMB-2 in tissue culture

  • Serum neutralization ≤ 75% of activity of 1 μg/mL LMB-2 allowed

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior monoclonal antibodies

Chemotherapy

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy

• Concurrent prednisone ≤ 20 mg/day (or equivalent dose of another steroid) allowed if on stable dose for ≥ 3 weeks and disease has progressed

Radiotherapy

• Not specified

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• At least 3 weeks since prior therapy for CTCL (with evidence of disease progression)
• At least 4 days since prior warfarin

• No concurrent warfarin

  • Heparin or low-molecular weight heparin allowed