Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIIB, Stage IV, or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer meeting 1 of the following stage criteria:
• * Stage IIIB disease
• * Stage IV disease
• * Recurrent disease
• HLA-A2-positive disease
• * HLA-A2 negative patients are eligible to enroll in group II (observation) only
• Measurable disease
• Estimated tumor volume ≤ 125 cc
• No CNS signs or symptoms of brain metastases
• * Brain metastases that are clinically stable for ≥ 2 months AND do not require anticonvulsants or systemic steroids are allowed
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
• WBC \> 3,000/mm\^3
• Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
• Absolute lymphocyte count \> 500/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (5 times ULN for patients with liver involvement by tumor)
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL for patients with liver involvement by tumor)
• Albumin ≥ 2.5 g/dL
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• No history of hepatitis B or C positivity
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 2 times ULN
• Immunologic
• No history of any of the following active conditions:
• * Systemic lupus erythematosus
• * Scleroderma
• * Connective tissue disease
• * Sjögren's syndrome
• * Multiple sclerosis
• * Rheumatoid arthritis
• * Inflammatory bowel disease
• No history of HIV positivity
• No history of serious adverse reaction, including anaphylaxis, or hypersensitivity to study vaccine or to any of its components
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 weeks after completion of study treatment
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively excised nonmelanoma skin cancer or surgically cured carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other acute medical condition that would preclude study treatment
• No mental or psychiatric condition that would preclude study compliance
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• More than 1 month since prior interferon therapy
• More than 1 month since prior interleukin therapy
• No prior cancer vaccine therapy, including participation in a vaccine study
• Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 1 month since prior systemic corticosteroids except stable doses of inhaled corticosteroids
• Radiotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• No concurrent participation in another investigational study