Vaccine Therapy With or Without Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer
• Metastatic disease must be radiologically proven
• HLA-A2-1 positive
• Locally advanced disease must have had prior resection or incomplete resection with poor prognosis
• Locally advanced disease includes:
• * Stage III or IV colon cancer (T4 or any T, N2-3, M0)
• * Stage III or IV rectal cancer (T4 or T3, N1-3)
• * Resectable or unresectable T4 disease after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgery
• * Absence of measurable disease but more than a 50% chance of recurrence
• Completely resected or locally advanced disease may have had conventional therapy completed within 1-12 months (surgery alone, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) prior to study entry
• Metastatic disease patients must have bidimensionally measurable disease
• * Bone lesions with well-demarcated borders allowed
• * Lesions seen only on bone scan, pleural effusions, ascites, and changes in carcinoembryonic antigen are not considered measurable disease
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• Over 18
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• Lymphocyte count at least 470/mm\^3
• Granulocyte count at least 1,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL\*
• SGOT no greater than 4 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (2.5 times ULN for adjuvant patients)\*
• Albumin at least 3 g/dL
• No active viral hepatitis
• No evidence of chronic infection due to hepatitis C
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative NOTE: \*Unless due to metastatic disease
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No history of cardiac failure, significant arrhythmias, or coronary artery disease (metastatic disease patients only)
• Other:
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• No prior malignancy with a 50% chance of recurrence within 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude compliance
• No serious medical condition that would preclude apheresis
• No serious infection
• No uncontrolled thyroid disease (metastatic disease patients only)
• Patients with an allergy to eggs are allowed but are not vaccinated against influenza during study
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• No prior immunologic therapy directed at the cellular immune system
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease allowed
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy or anticipated need for chemotherapy for 2 months after vaccinations
• Endocrine therapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior supraphysiologic steroid therapy
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior radiotherapy for metastatic disease allowed
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior surgery for metastatic disease allowed