Interleukin-7 and Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed melanoma

  * Metastatic disease
* Measurable or evaluable disease
* Disease progression during or after prior interleukin-2 (IL-2) OR ineligible to receive high-dose IL-2\* OR has disease burden for which IL-2 is not indicated\* NOTE: \*If patient did not receive prior IL-2, must have progressed after prior standard first-line therapy (e.g., metastasectomy for single lesions or dacarbazine)
* HLA-A\*0201-positive disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

* At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3\*
* Absolute lymphocyte count ≥ 200/mm\^3\*
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* No proliferative hematologic disease NOTE: \*For 2 consecutive readings performed on 2 different days

Hepatic

* AST and ALT \< 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* PT/PTT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* Hepatitis B negative

  * Positive hepatitis B serology indicative of prior immunization (i.e., positive for antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen AND negative for antibody against hepatitis B core antigen) allowed
* Hepatitis C negative

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.4 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

* Ejection fraction \> 45% by MUGA for patients ≥ 50 years of age OR with a history of cardiac disease
* No resting blood pressure \> 140/90 mm Hg with standard antihypertensive therapy

Pulmonary

* DLCO/VA and FEV\_1 \> 50% of predicted on pulmonary function test for smokers OR for patients with clinical evidence of compromised pulmonary function
* No history of severe asthma

Immunologic

* HIV negative
* No history of autoimmune disease
* No splenomegaly

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No other medical or psychiatric disease that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 4 weeks since prior cytokines
* No prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
* No concurrent growth factors
* No concurrent monoclonal antibodies
* No other concurrent immunotherapy
* No other concurrent cytokines
* No other concurrent biologic agents

Chemotherapy

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior intensive myeloablative chemotherapy
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* More than 2 weeks since prior systemic corticosteroids for more than 72 hours in duration
* No concurrent systemic steroids

Radiotherapy

* Not specified

Surgery

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior splenectomy
* No prior solid organ transplantation

Other

* More than 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic therapy
* No other concurrent cytotoxic therapy
* No concurrent chronic anticoagulation therapy (e.g., high-dose warfarin, heparin, or aspirin)

  * Concurrent low-dose warfarin (1-2 mg) allowed
* No concurrent chronic medication for asthma
* No concurrent immunosuppressive therapy