Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of melanoma, including one of the following characteristics:

  * Lesions at least 1.5 mm in thickness
  * At least 1 positive lymph node
  * Ulcerated lesion
  * Local recurrence
  * Metastatic lesions completely resected within the past 6 months
* Clinically disease free within the past 6 weeks
* HLA-A1, A3, A24, A31, or 0201 positive (HLA-A24 and HLA-A31 closed to accrual 11/05/01)
* No ocular or mucosal melanoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 16 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

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

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.6 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL in Gilbert's syndrome)
* AST and ALT less than 3 times normal
* Hepatitis B surface antigen negative

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* For interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy:

  * No cardiac ischemia, myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrhythmias
  * Stress cardiac test required if abnormal EKG, symptoms of cardiac ischemia or arrhythmia, or older than 50 years

Pulmonary:

* For IL-2 therapy:

  * No obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease
  * FEV\_1 greater than 60% predicted if prolonged history of cigarette smoking or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction

Other:

* Not pregnant
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* HIV negative
* No active systemic infections, autoimmune disease, or active primary or secondary immunodeficiency

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior systemic biologic therapy for melanoma
* No prior gp100 antigen or tyrosinase or TRP-1 peptide
* No other concurrent systemic biologic therapy for melanoma

Chemotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior systemic chemotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent systemic chemotherapy for melanoma

Endocrine therapy:

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

Radiotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior systemic radiotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent systemic radiotherapy for melanoma

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics