Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Interleukin-2 and Interferon Alfa in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed surgically incurable metastatic malignant melanoma
• Measurable disease
• No active brain metastases or edema
• No leptomeningeal disease
• No ocular melanoma
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT less than 3 times the upper limit of normal unless due to liver metastases
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 75 mL/min
• Cardiovascular:
• No congestive heart failure
• No symptoms of coronary artery disease
• No serious cardiac arrhythmias
• No prior myocardial infarction on EKG
• Normal cardiac stress test required for the following:
• * Over 50 years of age
• * Abnormal EKG
• * Prior history of cardiac disease
• Pulmonary:
• No symptomatic pulmonary disease
• FEV1 greater than 2.0 L OR at least 75% predicted if over 50 years of age or with history of pulmonary symptoms
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No significant infection
• HIV negative
• No other prior malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No organ allografts
• No significant disease other than malignancy
• No seizure disorder
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No prior interleukin-2 therapy for metastatic disease
• At least 4 weeks since prior vaccine therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy:
• No prior chemotherapy for disease
• Endocrine therapy:
• No concurrent corticosteroids
• Radiotherapy:
• No prior radiation therapy to measurable disease site unless disease is clearly progressive
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiation therapy for local control or palliation and recovered
• Surgery:
• Recovered from prior surgery
• Other:
• No prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease
• At least 3 months since definitive therapy for brain metastases