S0114 Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Gastric, Prostate, or Ovarian Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed diagnosis of one the following:
• * Stage II-IV gastric cancer
• * Stage IIC-IV ovarian cancer in first complete remission
• * CA 125 normal and stable\*
• * Grade III anaplastic astrocytoma
• * Stage IV (M1) prostate adenocarcinoma
• * No small cell variations
• * No biochemical progression after definitive surgery, defined by the following:
• * Prostate-specific antigen more than 0.4 ng/mL which remains elevated on 2 additional measurements at least 2 weeks apart after prostatectomy
• * Three consecutive rises in PSA, each at least 1 month apart after definitive radiotherapy
• * Must be receiving androgen blockade
• * PSA less than 5 ng/mL and stable\*
• Documented EGFRvIII expression in primary tumor
• Must have received prior surgery and or chemoradiotherapy for disease (except prostate cancer patients) NOTE: \*Stable defined as no increase over 2 measurements at least 28 days apart with the last measurement within the past 28 days
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 80 and under
• Performance status:
• Zubrod 0
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• SGOT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN
• No hepatitis
• Renal:
• Not specified
• Other:
• No other malignancy in the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer in complete remission
• No contraindication to receiving sargramostim (GM-CSF) or KLH-based vaccine products
• No autoimmune disease
• HIV negative
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 1 month since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 1 month since prior treatment dose corticosteroids
• No concurrent corticosteroids
• Radiotherapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other:
• Recovered from all prior therapies
• No concurrent enrollment on other phase I studies
• No other concurrent immune modulators