Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed advanced or metastatic malignancy expressing CEA
• * Metastatic disease meeting one of the following criteria:
• * Measurable or nonmeasurable
• * History of metastases but no current evidence of disease, meeting one of the following criteria:
• * Unresectable peritoneal or lymph node metastases that cannot be detected by imaging
• * Treated or resected metastatic disease considered at high risk of recurrence (predicted 5-year disease-free survival of less than 50%)
• * Must have completed treatment that rendered no evidence of disease within the past year
• CEA-expressing malignancy is defined by any of the following:
• * Immunohistochemical staining (at least 50% of the tumor has at least a moderate intensity of staining)
• * CEA level in peripheral blood greater than 2.5 µg/L
• * Tumor known to be universally CEA positive (e.g., colon and rectal cancer)
• Received prior therapy with possible survival benefit or refused such therapy
• Prior resection of brain metastases allowed provided no metastasis by CT scan or MRI of the brain within 1 month of enrollment
• Hormone receptor status:
• * Not specified
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over Sex
• Male or female Menopausal status
• Not specified Performance status
• Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy
• More than 6 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute lymphocyte count at least 1,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL (transfusion or epoetin alfa allowed) Hepatic
• Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
• SGOT/SGPT less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal
• No active acute or chronic viral hepatitis
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C negative
• No other hepatic disease that would preclude study entry
• Renal
• Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL
• No active acute or chronic urinary tract infection
• Cardiovascular
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease Immunologic
• HIV negative
• No history of autoimmune disease, including, but not limited to, the following:
• * Inflammatory bowel disease
• * Systemic lupus erythematosus
• * Rheumatoid arthritis
• * Ankylosing spondylitis
• * Scleroderma
• * Multiple sclerosis
• No allergy to eggs or any component of study vaccine Other
• No active acute or chronic infection
• No concurrent serious acute or chronic illness that would preclude study entry
• No other medical or psychological impediment that would preclude study entry
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer, controlled carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or controlled superficial bladder cancer
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy and recovered
• No other concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior hormonal therapy and recovered
• At least 6 weeks since prior steroids except steroids used as premedication for chemotherapy or for contrast-enhanced studies
• No concurrent steroids
• Radiotherapy
• Prior palliative radiotherapy (including systemic radiolabeled compounds) for unstable or painful bone metastases in weight-bearing bones may be allowed
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• At least 4 weeks since any other prior therapy (including experimental therapy) and recovered
• No concurrent immunosuppressives (e.g., azathioprine or cyclosporine)