OUTLINE: Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 30 minutes on days 1 and 8. Treatment repeats every 4 weeks for a minimum of 3 courses. Patients achieving clinical complete remission, complete remission, nodular partial remission, or partial remission following 3 courses of therapy, receive 2 additional courses of therapy. Patients achieving complete remission or further improvement following the 2 additional courses of therapy, receive another 2 courses of therapy. Patients are followed every 3 months until disease progression or relapse. Patients achieving complete remission are followed every 6 months for 1 year.