Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed stage III or IV cutaneous malignant melanoma
• HLA-A1 and/or HLA-A2 expression by serologic HLA typing
• * HLA-A2.1 subtype must be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction on genomic DNA obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells
• No active CNS metastases by CT scan or MRI
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 18
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 60-100%
• Life expectancy
• At least 4 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC greater than 2,500/mm\^3
• Neutrophil count greater than 1,000/mm\^3
• Lymphocyte count greater than 700/mm\^3
• Platelet count greater than 75,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL
• No bleeding disorders
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C antibody negative
• Renal
• Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• No clinically significant heart disease
• Pulmonary
• No clinically significant respiratory disease
• Immunologic
• No active systemic infection
• No immunodeficiency disease
• * No evidence of HIV-1, HIV-2, or human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1
• No active autoimmune disease including (but not limited to):
• * Lupus erythematosus
• * Autoimmune thyroiditis or uveitis
• * Multiple sclerosis
• * Inflammatory bowel disease
• Other
• Stable medical condition
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 1 month after study participation
• No organic brain syndrome or psychiatric illness that would preclude study compliance
• No other concurrent active malignancy
• No other concurrent serious illness that would preclude study treatment
• No contraindication to leukapheresis
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy
• No other concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior systemic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent corticosteroids
• Radiotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to the spleen
• Concurrent palliative radiotherapy allowed
• Surgery
• Recovered from prior surgery
• No prior splenectomy
• No prior organ allograft
• Concurrent surgery on selected metastases (e.g., because of pain or local complications such as compression) allowed
• Other
• No other concurrent investigational drugs
• No concurrent participation in another clinical trial