Chlorambucil or Fludarabine as First-Line Therapy in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, Splenic Lymphoma, or Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as chlorambucil and fludarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether chlorambucil is more effective than fludarabine in treating Waldenström macroglobulinemia, splenic lymphoma, or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying chlorambucil to see how well it works compared with fludarabine as first-line therapy in treating patients with previously untreated Waldenström macroglobulinemia, splenic lymphoma, or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma.