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

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed primary cutaneous or unknown primary melanoma, including 1 of the following stages:
• * Stage IIIB or IIIC disease
• * Unresected, in-transit lymph node metastases (N2c or N3)
• * Stage IV disease
• * Distant skin, subcutaneous, lymph node, or pulmonary metastases (M1a or M1b)
• * No cerebral, bone, or other visceral metastases
• At least 1 measurable or evaluable lesion
• * Small-volume multiple cutaneous deposits allowed
• Progressive disease, as defined by 1 of the following criteria:
• * At least 20% increase in size in ≥ 1 measurable or evaluable lesion
• * Appearance of ≥ 1 new lesion since or during last treatment (if applicable) AND within the past 3 months
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• At least 6 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
• Hepatic
• SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Lactic dehydrogenase normal
• No active hepatitis B or C infection
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Immunologic
• No history of autoimmune disease
• * Vitiligo allowed
• No history of immunodeficiency syndrome
• No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection within the past 72 hours
• HIV-1 or -2 negative
• Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus-I or -II negative
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No contraindication to apheresis
• No other significant medical or surgical condition that would preclude study participation
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No prior vaccine therapy with ≥ 1 melanoma antigen or peptide
• More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy
• Chemotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent chronic systemic corticosteroids
• Radiotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• Surgery
• Not specified
• Other
• More than 4 weeks since prior investigational products
• More than 4 weeks since prior chronic systemic immunosuppressive treatment
• No concurrent medication or treatment regimen that would prelude study participation
• No other concurrent anticancer treatment
• No other concurrent immunosuppressive treatment