Oblimersen in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) confirmed by both of the following: * Bone marrow lymphoplasmacytosis with greater than 10% lymphoplasmacytic cells or aggregates, sheets, lymphocytes, plasma cells, or lymphoplasmacytic cells on bone marrow biopsy * Measurable disease, defined by quantitative IgM monoclonal protein greater than 1,000 mg/dL * Symptomatic relapsed or refractory disease requiring therapy, defined by at least 1 of the following: * Impaired bone marrow function due to disease infiltration as demonstrated by any of the following: * Hemoglobin less than 11 g/dL * Requires epoetin alfa therapy to maintain hemoglobin of at least 11 g/dL * Platelet count less than 100,000/mm\^3 * Symptomatic bulky lymphadenopathy * Symptoms attributable to hyperviscosity (e.g., nose bleeding, gingival bleeding, or retinal hemorrhage) or serum viscosity level relative to water greater than 4 * Received at least 1 prior chemotherapy regimen which included chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, cladribine, or pentostatin * No secondary leukemia or history of antecedent hematologic disorder (e.g., myelodysplasia) prior to initial onset of WM * Performance status - ECOG 0-2 * Not specified * See Disease Characteristics * Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm\^3\* * Platelet count at least 50,000/mm\^3\* * No bleeding disorder * Bilirubin no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST less than 1.5 times ULN * Albumin at least 2.5 g/dL * PT no greater than 1.5 times ULN * INR no greater than 1.3 * PTT no greater than 1.5 times ULN * No history of chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis * Creatinine no greater than 2 times ULN * No uncontrolled congestive heart failure * No active symptoms of coronary artery disease, including the following: * Uncontrolled arrhythmias * Recurrent chest pain despite prophylactic medication * No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease * No grade 2 or greater cardiovascular signs and symptoms within the past 4 weeks * HIV negative * Direct Coombs' test negative * No autoimmune thrombocytopenia * No uncontrolled serious infection * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Adequate venous access for 7-day continuous infusion of study drug * Intellectual, emotional, and physical ability to maintain an ambulatory infusion pump * No other cancer except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for at least 5 years * No known hypersensitivity to phosphorothioate-containing oligonucleotides * No uncontrolled seizure disorder * More than 21 days since prior immunotherapy for WM * More than 21 days since prior cytokine, biologic, or vaccine therapy for WM * More than 8 weeks since prior plasmapheresis or plasma exchange * No prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation * No concurrent plasmapheresis or plasma exchange * See Disease Characteristics * No concurrent corticosteroid therapy * More than 21 days since prior radiotherapy for WM * More than 21 days since prior major surgery for WM * No prior organ allograft * Recovered from all prior therapy * More than 21 days since other prior therapy for WM * No other concurrent investigational therapy * No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs * No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation therapy