Interferon Alfa Following Surgery in Treating Patients With Stage III Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed previously resected stage III primary cutaneous melanoma or unknown primary with regional lymph node involvement

  * N1 disease

    * Microscopic, nonpalpable nodal involvement
    * Primary melanoma of any stage with clinically inapparent N1 regional lymph node metastases (T1-4, N1, M0) detected by elective lymph node dissection or sentinel node biopsy
  * N2 disease

    * Palpable nodal involvement with synchronous primary melanoma or apparent nodal disease after prior excision (any pT, N2, M0)
  * Regional lymph node recurrence at any interval after surgery for primary melanoma of any depth (T1-4, rN2, M0)
* Complete resection of primary melanoma with adequate surgical margins
* Full lymphadenectomy must be performed within 70 days of study
* No mucous membrane melanoma or ocular melanoma
* No evidence of distant or nonregional lymph node metastases or in transit metastases (even if previously resected)
* No incompletely resected disease due to gross extracapsular extension

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 to 70

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

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

Hepatic:

* SGOT and SGPT less than 2 times upper limit of normal
* No active hepatitis

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No severe cardiovascular disease including the following:

  * Arrhythmias requiring chronic treatment
  * Congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV)
  * Symptomatic ischemic heart disease

Other:

* No other prior malignancy within the past 5 years except surgically cured nonmelanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No thyroid dysfunction unresponsive to therapy
* No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
* No active autoimmune disease
* No active and/or uncontrolled infection
* No history of neuropsychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization
* No known active alcohol or drug abuse
* HIV negative
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No prior interferon alfa
* No prior immunotherapy for melanoma
* No other concurrent immunologic or biologic therapy
* No concurrent colony stimulating factors including epoetin alfa and filgrastim (G-CSF)

Chemotherapy:

* No prior chemotherapy for melanoma
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* No prior hormonal therapy for melanoma
* No concurrent hormonal therapy
* No concurrent chronic systemic corticosteroid therapy

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy for melanoma
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from any prior recent surgery

Other:

* At least 30 days since other prior experimental therapy
* No other concurrent investigational drugs