Cyclophosphamide, Fludarabine, and Total-Body Irradiation Followed By Cellular Adoptive Immunotherapy, Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation, and Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma
* Measurable disease
* Resected or stable brain metastases are allowed

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1

Life expectancy

* At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

* See Immunologic
* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3 (without support of filgrastim \[G-CSF\])
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
* No coagulation disorders

Hepatic

* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \< 3 times upper limit of normal
* Bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL (\< 3 mg/dL in patients with Gilbert's syndrome)
* No hepatitis B or C

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

* Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 45% by cardiac stress test\*
* No active major cardiovascular illness as evidenced by stress thallium or other comparable test
* No myocardial infarction
* No cardiac arrhythmias NOTE: \*For patients ≥ 50 years of age receiving high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) OR patients with a history of electrocardiogram (EKG) abnormalities, symptoms of cardiac ischemia, or arrhythmias

Pulmonary

* Forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV\_1) ≥ 60% of predicted by pulmonary function test in patients with prolonged history of cigarette smoking or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction\*
* No active major respiratory illness
* No obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease NOTE: \*For patients receiving high-dose IL-2 only

Immunologic

* No active major immunologic illness
* No active systemic infections
* No primary or secondary immunodeficiency

  * Fully recovered immune competence after prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy as evidenced by both of the following:

    * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3
    * No opportunistic infections
* Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative
* Epstein-Barr virus positive

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 months after study treatment

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* See Disease Characteristics

Chemotherapy

* At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosourea therapy
* No prior cyclophosphamide and fludarabine as part of a preparative regimen on National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch adoptive cell therapy studies unless sufficient numbers of CD34+ stem cells (more than 2 x10\^6/kg patient weight) have been obtained prior to the administration of chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* No concurrent systemic steroid therapy

Radiotherapy

* Not specified

Surgery

* See Disease Characteristics
* Prior minor surgery within the past 3 weeks allowed if recovered

Other

* Recovered from all prior therapy
* At least 30 days since prior systemic therapy
* No other concurrent experimental agents