Vaccine Therapy and Sargramostim in Treating Patients With Sarcoma or Brain Tumor

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following malignancies:
• * Stage III or IV sarcoma, including:
• * Leiomyosarcoma
• * Synovial cell sarcoma
• * Liposarcoma
• * Gastrointestinal stromal tumor
• * Brain tumor, including:
• * Diffuse pontine glioma\*
• * Glioblastoma multiforme
• * Glialsarcoma NOTE: \*For patients with diffuse pontine glioma, the requirement for histologic verification may be waived
• No known curative therapy
• HLA A\*0201 positive by genotyping
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 2
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 60-100% (patients over age 16)
• Lansky 60-100% (patients under age 16)
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• WBC greater than 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• AST and ALT less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin less than 1.5 times ULN
• Renal
• Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No clinically significant cardiovascular disease
• Pulmonary
• No clinically significant pulmonary disease
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• No other concurrent vaccine therapy
• No other concurrent immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• No prior chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• Concurrent dexamethasone allowed provided patient has been on a decreasing dose for the past 2 weeks and the current dose is the lowest clinically acceptable dose (ideally, less than 9-12 mg/day)
• Radiotherapy
• No prior extensive-field radiotherapy that would compromise bone marrow function
• At least 2 weeks since prior local radiotherapy
• Surgery
• At least 2 weeks since prior surgery
• Other
• At least 2 weeks since prior imatinib mesylate
• No concurrent local anesthetic to administration site of vaccine