RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of carmustine given together with O(6)-benzylguanine in treating patients with stage I or stage II cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that has not responded to previous treatment.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the kinetics of O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase depletion in skin lesions of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma after treatment with O6-benzylguanine.
• Determine the toxicity of low-dose topical carmustine when administered after O6-benzylguanine in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of carmustine.

Patients receive O6-benzylguanine IV over 1 hour followed by topical carmustine once every 2 weeks. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of carmustine until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.

Patients are followed for 6 weeks.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 20 patients will be accrued for this study within 2 years.

• Drug: O6-benzylguanine
• Drug: carmustine

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
• Stage IA, IB, or IIA disease
• Must be able to biopsy tumor
• Must have failed 1 conventional treatment other than topical corticosteroids, including ultraviolet B light, psoralen ultraviolet light, topical mechlorethamine, electron beam, photophoresis, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy agents
• No known CNS involvement or primary CNS malignancy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Over 18

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• WBC greater than 4,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 2,000/mm^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT normal
• Prothrombin time normal

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 70 mL/min

Metabolic:

• Calcium and electrolytes normal
• Glucose-controlled (diet and insulin) diabetes allowed

Pulmonary:

• DLCO greater than 80% (except patients who demonstrate clinically normal lung function based on history, physical examination, and chest x-ray as determined by the principal investigator)
• No pulmonary disease

Other:

• No active infection
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for two months after study therapy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent hematopoietic growth factors

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior nitrosoureas

Endocrine therapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

Radiotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

Surgery:

• Not specified

Other:

• At least 4 weeks since any prior therapy and recovered