Ixabepilone in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of 1 of the following cellular types: * Grade III follicular center * Diffuse large B-cell * Mantle cell * Primary mediastinal B-cell * Burkitt's * High-grade B-cell (Burkitt-like) * Anaplastic large cell of 1 of the following subtypes: * CD30-positive * T-cell * Null cell * Hodgkin's-like * Relapsed or refractory disease after prior standard chemotherapy, meeting criteria for 1of the following cohorts: * Cohort 1 (relapsed but chemosensitive): Prior complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) lasting at least 4 weeks after the most recent prior therapy * Cohort 2 (refractory): Stable disease or less than a PR after the most recent prior therapy * No progressive disease after the most recent prior therapy * Measurable disease * At least 1 bidimensionally measurable lesion at least 10 mm by conventional techniques or clinical exam * Ineligible for or unwilling to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation * Patients requiring debulking prior to transplant allowed * No known CNS involvement by lymphoma * Prior CNS disease that has been successfully treated in patients with relapsed disease exclusively outside of the CNS may be allowed by the principal investigator * Performance status - ECOG 0-2 * More than 3 months * WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,200/mm\^3 * Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL * AST/ALT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL * Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No unstable angina pectoris * No cardiac arrhythmia * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No prior allergic reaction or hypersensitivity to compounds containing Cremophor EL or agents of similar chemical or biological composition to BMS-247550 * No peripheral neuropathy grade 2 or greater * No other currently active malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix (previously treated malignancy allowed if considered to be at less than 30% risk of relapse) * No ongoing or active infection * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No other concurrent uncontrolled illness * No colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) within 24 hours of study chemotherapy * No CSFs during first course of study therapy * No concurrent filgrastim-SD/01 * No concurrent immunotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) * No other concurrent chemotherapy * No concurrent hormonal therapy * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No concurrent therapeutic radiotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior surgery * Recovered from prior therapy * At least 7 days since prior cimetidine * No concurrent cimetidine * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent anticancer medications * No concurrent unconventional therapies, food, or vitamin supplements containing Hypericum perforatum