Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in the Vulnerable/Frail Elderly. A Multicentric Randomized Phase II Trial

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, vincristine sulfate, prednisone, and liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether rituximab and combination chemotherapy are more effective when given together with or without liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate in treating older patients with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying the side effects of giving rituximab together with cyclophosphamide, vincristine sulfate, and prednisone with or without liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate and to see how well it works in treating older patients with stage II, stage III, or stage IV diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.