Vaccine Therapy and Chemotherapy With or Without Tetanus Toxoid Compared With Chemotherapy Alone in Treating Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma
* No clinically active CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* More than 6 months

Hematopoietic:

* Lymphocyte count at least 1,000/mm\^3
* Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST/ALT less than 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
* Alkaline phosphatase less than 3 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases present)
* No hepatocellular dysfunction
* No cirrhosis

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No uncontrolled coronary artery disease
* No symptomatic congestive heart failure

Pulmonary:

* No uncontrolled chronic obstructive lung disease

Gastrointestinal:

* No unsolved bowel obstruction or subobstruction
* No uncontrolled Crohn's disease
* No ulcerative colitis
* No concurrent chronic diarrhea

Immunologic:

* HIV negative
* No immunocompromised patients
* No diagnosis of altered immune function, including:

  * Lupus erythematosus
  * Sjogren's syndrome
  * Scleroderma
  * Myasthenia gravis
  * Goodpasture's disease
  * Addison's disease
  * Hashimoto's thyroiditis
  * Active Graves' disease
* No known allergy to egg products or neomycin
* No prior adverse reaction to tetanus toxoid-containing vaccines

Other:

* No significant comorbid medical function
* No uncontrolled infection
* No unstable diabetes mellitus
* No uncontrolled thyroid function abnormalities
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell carcinoma or adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No other medical illness or mental status that would preclude study participation
* No prior severe toxicity to adjuvant chemotherapy
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 3 months after study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No prior CEA-directed immunotherapy
* No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

* At least 6 months since prior adjuvant chemotherapy
* No prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease
* No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* No concurrent daily use of systemic steroids
* No concurrent nonsubstitutional hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy to more than 50% of all nodal groups
* No concurrent radiotherapy except for palliative purposes involving less than 20% of bone marrow reserve

Surgery:

* No prior major organ allograft
* Recovered from prior surgery

Other:

* At least 28 days since prior investigational products
* No other concurrent investigational products