Biological Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed advanced malignancy that expresses HER2/neu

  * Stage IIA breast cancer with more than 6 positive lymph nodes
  * Stage IIB, IIIA, or IIIB breast cancer
  * Stage III ovarian cancer
  * Lymph node positive gastric cancer
  * Metastatic tumor
* No measurable or evaluable disease after standard treatment
* No previously irradiated or newly diagnosed CNS metastases
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Menopausal status:

* Not specified

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 80-100%

Life expectancy:

* Greater than 6 months

Hematopoietic:

* WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin at least 9 mg/dL
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
* No hepatic disease, including viral hepatitis

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease

Pulmonary:

* No asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Immunologic:

* Must have positive intradermal delayed hypersensitivity test for at least 1 of the following:

  * Candida
  * Mumps
  * Tetanus
  * Trichophyton
  * Histoplasmin
* No prior autoimmune disease including, but not limited to, the following:

  * Inflammatory bowel disease
  * Systemic lupus erythematosus
  * Ankylosing spondylitis
  * Scleroderma
  * Multiple sclerosis

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* HIV negative
* Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibody negative
* No other concurrent serious chronic or acute illness or infection (including urinary tract infection)
* No known shellfish or iodine allergy
* No other prior or concurrent malignancy except for nonmelanoma skin cancer, cervical cancer, or controlled superficial bladder cancer
* No medical or psychological condition that may preclude study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* Concurrent hormonal therapy allowed (tamoxifen, raloxifene, toremifene, and all aromatase inhibitors)
* At least 4 weeks since prior steroid or immunosuppressive therapy (e.g, azathioprine or cyclosporine)

Radiotherapy:

* Prior radiotherapy allowed except to cranium
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* At least 12 weeks since prior strontium chloride Sr 89
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* At least 4 weeks since prior surgery and recovered

Other:

* Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed
* No prior hepatitis B immunization