Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients Who Are Undergoing Surgery for Stage IB, Stage II, or Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a person's tumor cells and white blood cells may make the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of vaccine therapy in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for stage IB, stage II, or stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the maximum tolerated dose of adjuvant autologous dendritic cells loaded with irradiated autologous tumor cells in patients with stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer undergoing resection. * Determine the safety and tolerability of this vaccine in these patients. Secondary * Determine the feasibility of this vaccine in these patients. * Determine vaccine-specific and antitumor immunity in patients treated with this vaccine. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study. Patients undergo leukaphersis to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC are expanded ex vivo to generate monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC). Autologous tumor cells are harvested and purified at the time of surgical resection. DC are then loaded with irradiated autologous tumor cells. Within 4-8 weeks after surgical resection, patients receive autologous DC loaded with irradiated autologous tumor cells intradermally on approximately days 1, 30, and 60 in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Cohorts of 6-9 patients receive escalating doses of vaccine until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. If 2 of 9 patients in the first cohort experience dose-limiting toxicity, that dose level is considered the MTD. Patients are followed at approximately 1 and 4 months, and then every 6 months for 4 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 12-15 patients will be accrued for this study within 18 months.