S0816 Fludeoxyglucose F 18-PET/CT Imaging and Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Additional Chemotherapy and G-CSF in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (i.e., nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte-rich, or lymphocyte-depleted) * Previously untreated stage III or IV disease * No nodular lymphocyte predominant disease * Bidimensionally measurable disease * Adequate biopsy samples from original diagnostic specimen must be available for pathologic review * Tissue obtained from core biopsies allowed * No tissue obtained from needle aspirations or cytologies * Must have known HIV status * No multi-drug resistant HIV infection, CD4 counts \< 150/μL, or other concurrent AIDS-defining conditions in HIV-positive patients * HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts ≥ 150/μL at the time of enrollment OR documented CD4 count \> 250/μL at any time within 8 months prior to HL diagnosis allowed * Must have undergone unilateral or bilateral bone marrow biopsy within the past 42 days * Must have a diagnostic quality CT scan of the chest/abdomen and pelvis AND baseline FDG-PET scan within the past 28 days * Combined PET/CT scans required * No older "stand-alone" FDG-PET scans * No low-resolution "localization" CT scans as part of a combined PET/CT scans PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Zubrod performance status 0-2 * Serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), hemoglobin, albumin, white blood cell count (WBC), and lymphocytes measured within the past 28 days * Serum estradiol (women only), testosterone (men only)…