Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed advanced or metastatic malignancy expressing CEA

  * Metastatic disease meeting one of the following criteria:

    * Measurable or nonmeasurable
    * History of metastases but no current evidence of disease, meeting one of the following criteria:

      * Unresectable peritoneal or lymph node metastases that cannot be detected by imaging
      * Treated or resected metastatic disease considered at high risk of recurrence (predicted 5-year disease-free survival of less than 50%)

        * Must have completed treatment that rendered no evidence of disease within the past year
* CEA-expressing malignancy is defined by any of the following:

  * Immunohistochemical staining (at least 50% of the tumor has at least a moderate intensity of staining)
  * CEA level in peripheral blood greater than 2.5 µg/L
  * Tumor known to be universally CEA positive (e.g., colon and rectal cancer)
* Received prior therapy with possible survival benefit or refused such therapy
* Prior resection of brain metastases allowed provided no metastasis by CT scan or MRI of the brain within 1 month of enrollment
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over Sex
* Male or female Menopausal status
* Not specified Performance status
* Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy
* More than 6 months

Hematopoietic

* WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
* Absolute lymphocyte count at least 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL (transfusion or epoetin alfa allowed) Hepatic
* Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
* SGOT/SGPT less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal
* No active acute or chronic viral hepatitis
* Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
* Hepatitis C negative
* No other hepatic disease that would preclude study entry

Renal

* Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL
* No active acute or chronic urinary tract infection

Cardiovascular

* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease Immunologic
* HIV negative
* No history of autoimmune disease, including, but not limited to, the following:

  * Inflammatory bowel disease
  * Systemic lupus erythematosus
  * Rheumatoid arthritis
  * Ankylosing spondylitis
  * Scleroderma
  * Multiple sclerosis
* No allergy to eggs or any component of study vaccine Other
* No active acute or chronic infection
* No concurrent serious acute or chronic illness that would preclude study entry
* No other medical or psychological impediment that would preclude study entry
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer, controlled carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or controlled superficial bladder cancer
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy and recovered
* No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy

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

Endocrine therapy

* At least 4 weeks since prior hormonal therapy and recovered
* At least 6 weeks since prior steroids except steroids used as premedication for chemotherapy or for contrast-enhanced studies
* No concurrent steroids

Radiotherapy

* Prior palliative radiotherapy (including systemic radiolabeled compounds) for unstable or painful bone metastases in weight-bearing bones may be allowed
* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* At least 4 weeks since any other prior therapy (including experimental therapy) and recovered
* No concurrent immunosuppressives (e.g., azathioprine or cyclosporine)