DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* All patients must have previously untreated stage III, IV, or bulky stage II mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)

* A diagnosis of MCL must be confirmed by histopathological diagnosis including immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry documenting both of the following phenotypes:

* CD19+ or CD20+
* Cyclin D1+ or evidence of the t(11;14) translocation by cytogenetics or FISH
* Adequate sections from the original diagnostic specimen must be available for submission for central review

* An adequate biopsy requires sufficient tissue to establish the architecture and a WHO histologic subtype with certainty

* Core biopsies, especially multiple core biopsies, MAY be adequate, but needle aspirations or cytologies are not adequate
* Bone marrow core biopsy or clot sections (not aspirates) may be used as diagnostic material if it is significantly involved and are the only diagnostic material available
* All patients must have bidimensional measurable disease documented on the Lymphoma Baseline Tumor Assessment Form (Form #48031)

* Patients who also have non-measurable disease in addition to measurable disease must have all nonmeasurable disease assessed within 28 days prior to registration
* Patients must not have clinical evidence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement by lymphoma

* Any laboratory or radiographic tests performed prior to registration to assess CNS involvement must be negative
* Patients must have a unilateral/bilateral bone marrow aspirate and biopsy for staging performed within 42 days prior to registration

* If the biopsy cannot be performed but the aspirate is unequivocally consistent with mantle cell lymphoma, this will be considered adequate for staging purposes
* Patients must be eligible for stem cell transplantation by institutional guidelines with the plan that transplant will be conducted at a cooperative group-approved transplant center

* Patients must be planning to undergo stem cell transplantation within 84 days after day 1 of the last induction course
* Patients must have had at least 1.5 X 10\^6 CD34\^+ cells/kg collected and stored prior to second registration for stem cell transplantation

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Zubrod performance status of 0-2
* Bilirubin ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Serum creatinine ≤ 2.0 times ULN
* Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mcL, unless due to bone marrow infiltration by lymphoma
* All patients ≥ 45 years of age must have an echocardiogram (ECHO) or Multi Gated Acquisition Scan (MUGA )scan within 42 days prior to registration (whichever method is used at baseline must be used at restaging)

* Patients \< 45 years of age should have ECHO/MUGA only if clinically indicated
* Patients with an ejection fraction \< institutional lower limit of normal (ILLN) are not eligible
* Serum Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and a Complete Blood Count (CBC with differential must be measured within 28 days prior to registration
* Patients known to be HIV positive, or who have a history of solid organ transplantation, are ineligible
* No active hepatitis
* No other prior malignancy is allowed except for the following: adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer; in situ cervical cancer; adequately treated Stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission; or any other cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for 5 years
* Pregnant or nursing women may not participate
* Women or men of reproductive potential may not participate unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics