Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Melanoma

OBJECTIVES: * Compare the immunologic activity of three different schedules of peptide immunization with gp100:209-217 (210M) or gp100:17-25 antigen and tyrosinase:368-376 (370D), tyrosinase:240-251 (244S), tyrosinase:206-214 (closed to accrual 11/05/01), or tyrosinase-related protein-1 (ORF3):1-9 peptide (closed to accrual 11/05/01) emulsified in Montanide ISA-51 in patients with melanoma at high risk for recurrence. * Compare the response rate to treatment with interleukin-2 (IL-2) after being immunized with this regimen with the usual response rate to IL-2 in this patient population. * Determine whether an exploratory cohort of HLA-A2-positive patients demonstrate immunologic activity to immunization with 2 peptides emulsified together. OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to HLA type (A0201 vs A1 vs A3 vs A24 vs A31). (HLA-A24 and HLA-A31 closed to accrual 11/05/01). Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 treatment arms and are given an assigned vaccine, which is emulsified in Montanide ISA-51. * HLA typing: * HLA-A2: gp100:209-217 (210M) and tyrosinase:368-376 (370D) * HLA-A1: tyrosinase:240-251 (244S) * HLA-A3: gp100:17-25 * HLA-A24: tyrosinase:206-214 (closed to accrual 11/05/01) * HLA-A31: tyrosinase-related protein-1 (ORF3):1-9 (closed to accrual 11/05/01) * Arm I: Patients receive assigned vaccine subcutaneously (SC) weekly for 10 weeks followed by 3 weeks of no treatment. * Arm II: Patients receive assigned vaccine SC on days 1, 22, 43, and 64. * Arm III: Patients receive assigned vaccine SC on days 1-4, 22-25, 43-46, and 64-67. Treatment in all arms repeats every 13 weeks for 4 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After the completion of the randomized arms of HLA-A2 patients, additional HLA-A2 patients receive immunization with gp100:209-217 (210M) and tyrosinase:368-376 (370D) emulsified in Montanide ISA-51 SC once every 3 weeks for 4 courses. Patients with progressive disease may receive interleukin-2 IV over 15 minutes every 8 hours for up to 4 days. Treatment repeats every 10-14 days for at least 4 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with stable disease or mixed or partial response to treatment may receive additional courses every 2 months. Patients are followed at 6 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 324 patients (19-33 per arm for the HLA-A0201 stratum, 13-16 per arm for the other 4 strata, and 33 per the additional HLA-A2 cohort) will be accrued for this study within 2 years. (HLA-A24 and HLA-A31 closed to accrual 11/05/01).