Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IV or Recurrent Melanoma

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Histologically confirmed stage IV or recurrent melanoma
• •* Metastatic disease confirmed by MRI or CT scan
• •Planned resection of tumor
• •No active CNS metastases
• •* Radiographically confirmed lack of CNS disease progression
• •* No requirement for pharmacologic doses of corticosteroids
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age:
• •Over 16
• •Performance status:
• •ECOG 0-2
• •Life expectancy:
• •At least 4 months
• •Hematopoietic:
• •Hematocrit greater than 25%
• •Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• •No ongoing transfusion requirements
• •No active blood clotting or bleeding diathesis
• •Hepatic:
• •Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •Albumin at least 3.0 g/dL
• •Renal:
• •Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• •Cardiovascular:
• •No underlying cardiac disease associated with known myocardial dysfunction
• •No unstable angina related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
• •Other:
• •No other malignancy within the past 5 years except for carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma, or localized squamous cell skin cancer
• •No active, eminently life-threatening infection or medical condition
• •Adequate venous access
• •Not pregnant
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy:
• •Other prior putative vaccines allowed
• •Recovered from prior biologic therapy
• •No other concurrent biologic therapy except epoetin alfa for patients with hematocrit less than 36%
• •Chemotherapy:
• •At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• •No concurrent chemotherapy
• •Endocrine therapy:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •No concurrent endocrine therapy
• •Radiotherapy:
• •At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy (including whole brain radiotherapy) and recovered
• •No concurrent radiotherapy
• •Surgery:
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •Recovered from prior surgery
• •Other:
• •Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed for patients with lytic bone metastases
• •No concurrent digoxin or other medications designed to improve cardiac output
• •No other concurrent investigational therapy