Interleukin-12 Gene Therapy in Treating Patients With Skin Metastases

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed solid malignancy

  * Surgically or medically incurable disease
  * No standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy exists for this disease
* Tumor of at least 0.5 cm but no more than 2.5 cm infiltrating into or underlying the skin

  * Cutaneous metastases, subcutaneous metastases, or tumor-involved lymph nodes that are easily palpable

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* More than 3 months

Hematopoietic:

* WBC greater than 3,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count greater than 80,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL

Other:

* HIV negative
* No active infections requiring antibiotic, antiviral, or antifungal treatment
* No other active malignancy
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 1 month since prior immunotherapy
* No concurrent colony-stimulating factors

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 1 month since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* At least 1 month since prior steroids (other than intermittent use as an antiemetic or topical agent)
* No concurrent steroids

Radiotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Prior radiotherapy to vaccine site allowed provided there is documentation of progressive disease

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior organ allografts

Other:

* No other concurrent antineoplastic therapy
* No other concurrent investigational drugs