Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically proven metastatic melanoma that has failed standard treatment
* HLA-DRB1\*0401 positive
* Known HLA-A0201 status

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 16 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* More than 3 months

Hematopoietic:

* WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 90,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
* AST or ALT less than 3 times normal
* Hepatitis B surface antigen negative

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No symptomatic cardiac disease

Immunologic:

* No autoimmune disease
* No primary or secondary immunodeficiency disease
* HIV negative

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No active systemic infection

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No prior immunization to the entire gp100 molecule
* At least 3 weeks since prior gp100:209-217 antigen peptide
* At least 3 weeks since other prior biologic therapy

Chemotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior endocrine therapy
* No concurrent steroid therapy

Radiotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

* Prior surgery for cancer allowed

Other:

* At least 3 weeks since any prior therapy except surgery for cancer