Romidepsin, Gemcitabine Hydrochloride, Oxaliplatin, and Dexamethasone in Treating Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria

• Able to understand and voluntarily sign an informed consent form
• Diagnosis of one of the following: * Relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma of any subtype including mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome of advanced stage (IIB-IVB) ** For the expansion cohort: patients must have biopsy-proven T-cell lymphoma and measurable disease * Relapsed/refractory DLBCL (up to 6 DLBCL patients are allowed in the dose-escalation portion of the study) * Relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) * Note: extracorporeal photopheresis is NOT considered a systemic therapy for this study
• Transplant eligible (as determined by referring physician) patients who have failed one prior salvage therapy or transplant ineligible (as determined by referring physician) patients who have failed one prior therapy
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of =< 2
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1500/mm^3
• Platelet count >= 100,000/mm^3
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 3 x ULN
• Creatinine < 2 mg/dL
• Potassium >= 3.3 mmol/L or at/above the lower limit of normal for the performing laboratory
• Magnesium >= 1.4 mg/dL or at/above the lower limit of normal for the performing laboratory
• Negative serum pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential
• Washout time of at least 4 weeks for prior biological, chemotherapeutic, or radiotherapy

Exclusion Criteria

• Any serious medical condition, laboratory abnormality, or psychiatric illness that would – in the opinion of the investigator – prevent the subject from signing the informed consent form
• Pregnant or lactating women
• Any medical condition or laboratory abnormalities, which – in the opinion of the investigator – places the subject at unacceptable risk, or confounds the ability to interpret data if he/she were to participate in the study
• Positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology during staging, symptomatic leptomeningeal involvement, or parenchymal involvement of brain or spinal cord
• Prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant
• Prior solid organ transplant
• Cirrhotic liver disease from any cause
• Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Impaired cardiac function or clinically significant cardiac disease including any of the following: * Congenital long QT syndrome * Screening electrocardiogram (ECG) with corrected QT (QTc) interval >= 500 milliseconds * Myocardial infarction (MI) or unstable angina =< 6 months of course 1, day 1 (C1D1); however, subjects with a history of MI between 6 and 12 months who are asymptomatic and have had a negative cardiac risk assessment (treadmill stress test, nuclear medicine stress test, or stress echocardiogram) since the event would be eligible * Symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), e.g., angina Canadian class II-IV; in any patient in whom there is doubt, the patient should have a stress imaging study and, if abnormal, angiography to define whether or not CAD is present * An ECG recorded at screening showing evidence of cardiac ischemia (ST depression of >= 2 mm, measured from isoelectric line to the ST segment); if in any doubt, the patient should have a stress imaging study and, if abnormal, angiography to define whether or not CAD is present * Other significant ECG abnormalities including 2nd degree atrio-ventricular (AV) block type II, 3rd degree AV block, or bradycardia (defined here as ventricular rate < 50 beats per minute [bpm]); right bundle-branch block + left anterior hemi-block (bifascicular block) * Congestive heart failure (CHF) that meets New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II to IV definitions and/or ejection fraction < 40% by multi gated acquisition scan (MUGA) scan or < 50% by echocardiogram and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) history or presence of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), torsade de pointes, or cardiac arrest * Hypertrophic cardiomegaly or restrictive cardiomyopathy from prior treatment or other causes * Uncontrolled hypertension, i.e., blood pressure (BP) of >= 160/95; patients who have a history of hypertension controlled by medication must be on a stable dose (for at least one month) and meet all other inclusion criteria * Any cardiac arrhythmia requiring an anti-arrhythmic medication, excluding stable (i.e., at least 30 days from screening) doses of beta-blockers
• Concomitant use of drugs that may cause significant QT prolongation and/or torsades de pointes that cannot be discontinued or switched to a different medication prior to treatment
• Concomitant use of cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A, polypeptide 4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors or inducers unless able to stop medication(s) prior to starting study treatment
• Patients who are unwilling to stop the use of herbal remedies while receiving study treatment
• Unable to accept blood product transfusions
• Men whose sexual partners are women of childbearing potential not using a double method of contraception during the study and 3 months after the end of treatment; one of these methods must be a condom
• Concurrent malignancy requiring active therapy * Patients with localized prostate cancer having undergone surgery or radiation (field confined to =< 30% of marrow-bearing bone) at least 30 days prior to study treatment are eligible