Temozolomide and Interferon Alfa in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma

  * Unresectable stage III or stage IV disease
  * Ocular, mucosal, or cutaneous melanoma
* Measurable disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 150,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* SGOT/SGPT no greater than 3 times ULN
* Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 3 times ULN

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN OR
* Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

* No history of severe cardiovascular disease
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* No unstable angina
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease (congestive heart failure)
* No ventricular tachyarrhythmias

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* HIV negative
* No AIDS-related illness
* No frequent vomiting or other medical condition that would preclude oral medication intake (e.g., partial bowel obstruction)
* No serious infection requiring IV antibiotics
* No psychiatric disorder requiring ongoing therapy or medication
* No nonmalignant illness or other medical condition that would preclude study
* No other active malignancy within the past 2 years except non-melanoma skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or T1a or b prostate cancer detected initially during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) (comprising less than 5% of resected tissue) with PSA level normal since TURP

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

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

Chemotherapy:

* No prior dacarbazine
* No prior temozolomide
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* No concurrent systemic corticosteroids

Radiotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy, interstitial brachytherapy, or radiosurgery
* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy to the brain for brain metastases
* Prior radiotherapy to indicator lesions allowed if there is evidence of disease progression
* Recovered from prior radiotherapy
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* At least 2 weeks since prior surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia and recovered