Therapeutic Autologous Lymphocytes, Aldesleukin, and Denileukin Diftitox in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Melanoma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the safety of cellular adoptive immunotherapy in melanoma patients using autologous CD8+ antigen-specific T-cell clones following CD25 lymphodepletion. II. Determine the influence of CD25 lymphodepletion on the duration of in vivo persistence of adoptively transferred CD8+ antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) clones. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the anti-tumor efficacy of cellular adoptive immunotherapy in melanoma patients using autologous CD8+ antigen-specific T cell clones following CD25 lymphodepletion. II. Evaluate the induction of T cells to non-targeted tumor-associated antigens (antigen-spreading) following adoptive transfer of CD8+ antigen-specific CTL and CD25 lymphodepletion. OUTLINE: This is a phase I study followed by a phase II study. Patients receive autologous T-cell intravenously (IV) over 30-60 minutes on days 0 and 28 and low-dose aldesleukin subcutaneously (SC) twice daily on days 0 to 13 and 28 to 41. Beginning 4-6 days before second T- cell infusion, patients receive denileukin diftitox IV over 30 minutes on days 1-3. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and then every 3 months thereafter.