OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the antitumor activity of intensive carmustine and etoposide with cisplatin or cyclophosphamide, followed by rescue with autologous bone marrow (ABM) treated in vitro with etoposide and/or peripheral blood stem cells mobilized with filgrastim (G-CSF) or sargramostim (GM-CSF) with or without radiotherapy in patients with refractory Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. II. Determine the time to recovery of peripheral blood counts in patients treated with this regimen. III. Correlate the rate of peripheral blood cell recovery in these patients with in vitro growth of ABM treated with etoposide.