Biological Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histopathologically proven metastatic melanoma
• * No CNS metastases
• HLA-A2 positive
• Bidimensionally measurable disease by palpation on clinical exam or radiographic imaging (x-ray, CT scan, or MRI)
• Surgically accessible site for tumor cell procurement (skin, subcutaneous nodule, or superficial node) and patient clinically eligible for such surgery
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 to 75
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 80-100%
• Life expectancy
• More than 16 weeks
• Hematopoietic
• WBC greater than 4,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 2,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• Hematocrit greater than 30%
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.6 mg/dL
• SGOT no greater than 150 IU (or no greater than 3 times normal)
• Prothrombin time no greater than 1.5 times control
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• Calcium no greater than 12 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• No congestive heart failure
• No clinically significant hypotension
• No symptoms of coronary artery disease
• No arrhythmia on EKG requiring drug therapy
• Pulmonary
• No severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• FEV\_1 at least 1.0 L
• DLCO at least 45% of predicted
• Other
• No active infection or oral temperature greater than 38.2 degrees C within 72 hours of study
• No systemic infection requiring chronic maintenance or suppressive therapy
• HIV negative
• No history of seizures
• No retinitis or choroiditis
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use adequate contraception
• Peripheral blood samples available weekly for 4 consecutive weeks
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 4 weeks since other prior immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• 1 or 2 courses of cytoreductive chemotherapy allowed for bulky disease
• At least 4 weeks since prior standard or investigational chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior steroid therapy
• Radiotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• At least 4 weeks since other prior investigational drug therapy and recovered