Nivolumab in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Relapsed or refractory T-cell lymphoma (TCL) biopsy-proven =\< 6 months prior to registration, including the following subtypes: * Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified * Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) negative, primary systemic type * Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma * Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type * Adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia (human T-lymphotropic virus 1 \[HTLV1\]+) * Blastic NK-cell lymphoma * Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma * Hepatosplenic gamma delta T-cell lymphoma * Transformed mycosis fungoides * T/NK-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable * Measurable disease: subjects must have at least one lesion that is \> 15mm (1.5 cm) in the longest diameter on cross-sectional imaging and measureable in two perpendicular dimensions per computed tomography (spiral CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * After failure of allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT) or after failure of frontline therapy in subjects who declined or are not ASCT candidates * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) 0, 1 or 2 * White blood cell (WBC) \>= 3000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1500/mm\^3 * Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin \> 9.0 g/dL * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) unless elevation due to Gilbert's Syndrome * Aspartate transaminase (AST) =\< 2.5 x ULN * Creatinine =\< 2.0 mg/dL * Calculated crea…