Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed stage IV melanoma that is considered incurable by surgery, radiotherapy, or limb perfusion
• * M1a or M1b disease
• Measurable disease outside prior field of limb perfusion
• Metastatic mucosal melanoma allowed
• MAGE-3 positive by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
• No uveal or choroidal primary melanoma
• No prior or concurrent brain metastases by CT scan or MRI of the brain
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Not specified
• Performance status
• Zubrod 0-1
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Not specified
• Hepatic
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C negative
• No liver cirrhosis
• No unstable liver disease
• No coagulation disorders
• Renal
• Not specified
• Cardiovascular
• No major cardiovascular illness
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• Pulmonary
• No major pulmonary illness
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• No AIDS or HIV-1-associated complex
• No chronic alcohol abuse or drug addiction
• No systemic infections
• No prior active autoimmune disease
• No other malignancy within 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 from which the patient is currently disease-free
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant biologic therapy
• No prior biologic therapy for stage IV melanoma
• No prior MAGE-3 peptide or protein vaccine preparation
• Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant chemotherapy
• No prior chemotherapy for stage IV melanoma
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant radiotherapy
• Surgery
• At least 4 weeks since prior surgery
• Other
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior limb perfusion and recovered
• At least 4 weeks since other prior adjuvant therapy
• No other prior therapy for stage IV melanoma