DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of follicular lymphoma

  • Stage III or IV disease
  • Grades I, II, or III
  • Previously untreated disease
• Nodal and extranodal sites
• Bidimensionally measurable disease by physical examination or diagnostic imaging
• No CNS or orbital non-Hodgkin's lymphoma localization

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over (for patients at EORTC centers)
• 65 and over (for patients at HOVON centers)

Performance status:

• WHO 0-2

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 4,000/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 6.0 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Cardiovascular:

• No severe cardiac disease that would preclude study treatment

Pulmonary:

• No severe pulmonary disease that would preclude study treatment

Other:

• HIV negative
• No severe neurologic, psychiatric, or metabolic disease that would preclude study treatment
• No other prior malignancy except basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• Not specified

Endocrine therapy:

• No concurrent systemic corticosteroids, including dexamethasone for nausea and vomiting palliation (inhalation and topical corticosteroids allowed)

Radiotherapy:

• No concurrent elective radiotherapy to an adjacent negative lymph node

Surgery:

• Not specified