Dacarbazine and/or Cisplatin Compared With Complete Metastasectomy in Treating Patients With Stage IV Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma
• * Solitary pulmonary nodule may not be sole site of metastatic disease
• * No disease limited to subcutaneous, cutaneous, or peripheral nodal (neck, axillary, groin, or iliac nodes) sites only
• Measurable disease
• Disease progression during or after prior interleukin-2 (IL-2)-based therapy OR ineligible for high-dose IL-2 therapy
• Metastatic disease amenable to complete surgical resection
• * Less than 5% estimated mortality from surgery
• * Prior complete metastasectomy allowed provided disease did not recur within 6 months after surgery
• No primary ocular or mucosal melanoma
• No brain metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 16 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3 OR
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• No coagulation disorder
• Hepatic
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C antibody negative
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 1.6 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance at least 70 mL/min
• No major medical illness of the renal system
• Cardiovascular
• No major medical illness of the cardiovascular system
• Pulmonary
• No major medical illness of the respiratory system
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• No active systemic infection
• No form of primary or secondary immunodeficiency
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Chemotherapy
• Not specified
• Endocrine therapy
• Not specified
• Radiotherapy
• No concurrent palliative radiotherapy
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• No concurrent palliative surgery
• Other
• More than 3 weeks since prior therapy for melanoma (except surgery)
• No other concurrent therapy for melanoma