OBJECTIVES:
Primary
* Measure changes in metabolic activity at visceral sites during the acute treatment phase of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using positron emission tomography (PET)/CT fusion imaging in patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer.
* Measure changes in metabolic activity at metastatic sites during the acute treatment phase of ACT using PET/CT fusion imaging.
* Compare the changes in metabolic activity at visceral and metastatic sites in patients treated with intravenous vs intra-arterial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte infusions.
Secondary
* Correlate response of individual metastases with these metabolic alterations.
OUTLINE: This is a pilot study. Patients are stratified according to treatment (intravenous \[IV\] tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes \[TIL\] after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen vs intra-arterial \[IA\] TIL after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen vs IV TIL after a myeloablative preparative regimen with chemotherapy and total-body irradiation).
Patients undergo positron emission tomography with fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG-PET)/CT fusion imaging at baseline (before starting TIL infusion), once between days 1-4 after TIL infusion, and once between days 5-8 after TIL infusion.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 70 patients will be accrued for this study.
