Vaccine Therapy With or Without Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma That Has Not Responded to Previous Treatment

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma
• * Refractory to standard therapy
• * No resectable locoregional disease
• HLA-A0201 positive
• Measurable disease
• Previously resected brain metastases, brain metastases stable after prior radiosurgery, or brain metastases less than 1 cm and without edema allowed
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 16 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 90,000/mm\^3
• No coagulation disorders
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL for patients with Gilbert's syndrome)
• AST/ALT less than 3 times normal
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No major medical illness of the cardiovascular system
• No cardiac ischemia\*
• No myocardial infarction\*
• No cardiac arrhythmias\* NOTE: \* For interleukin-2 (IL-2) administration
• Pulmonary:
• No major medical illness of the respiratory system
• No obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease (for IL-2 administration)
• Immunologic:
• HIV negative
• No primary or secondary immunodeficiency
• No known immunodeficiency disease
• No autoimmune disease
• No active systemic infections
• Other:
• Not pregnant
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• At least 3 weeks since prior biologic therapy for melanoma
• No prior immunization to tyrosinase-related protein-2 antigen
• No other concurrent biologic therapy for melanoma
• Chemotherapy:
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy for melanoma and recovered
• No concurrent chemotherapy for melanoma
• Endocrine therapy:
• At least 3 weeks since prior endocrine therapy for melanoma
• No concurrent systemic steroid therapy
• No concurrent endocrine therapy for melanoma
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy for melanoma and recovered
• No concurrent radiotherapy for melanoma
• Surgery:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other:
• No other concurrent therapy for melanoma