PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 to 65 Performance status: WHO 0-2 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless clearly related to NHL) Renal: Creatinine and BUN less than 2.5 times ULN (unless clearly related to NHL) Cardiovascular: No severe cardiac disease (e.g. severe heart failure requiring treatment or cardiac ejection fraction less than 45%) Neurologic: No neurologic disease Pulmonary: No pulmonary disease Other: Not pregnant No prior malignancies except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix Not HIV positive No psychiatric or metabolic disease