Pyrazoloacridine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Skin or Eye Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed metastatic cutaneous or ocular melanoma that is chemotherapy naive
• Bidimensionally measurable disease
• No pleural effusions or ascites
• No untreated CNS metastases
• Stable brain metastases by CT or MRI scan
• * At least 4 weeks since prior steroid therapy
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 4,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• SGOT and SGPT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN (unless due to hepatic metastases)
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active infection
• No known hypersensitivity to E.coli derived proteins
• No other serious medical problems
• No more than 1 primary malignancy within past 5 years, other than:
• * Nonmelanomatous skin cancer
• * Carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No history of spinal cord compression
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• Prior biologic therapy allowed (e.g., interleukin-2, interferon alfa, or vaccine therapy)
• Chemotherapy:
• No prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Radiotherapy:
• Prior radiotherapy for primary ocular melanoma, brain metastases, or to metastatic sites encompassing less than 25% of the bone marrow allowed
• No other prior radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• At least 2 weeks since prior surgery and recovered