Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Unresected Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed primary cutaneous or unknown primary melanoma, including 1 of the following stages:

  * Stage IIIB or IIIC disease

    * Unresected, in-transit lymph node metastases (N2c or N3)
  * Stage IV disease

    * Distant skin, subcutaneous, lymph node, or pulmonary metastases (M1a or M1b)

      * No cerebral, bone, or other visceral metastases
* At least 1 measurable or evaluable lesion

  * Small-volume multiple cutaneous deposits allowed
* Progressive disease, as defined by 1 of the following criteria:

  * At least 20% increase in size in ≥ 1 measurable or evaluable lesion
  * Appearance of ≥ 1 new lesion since or during last treatment (if applicable) AND within the past 3 months

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

* At least 6 months

Hematopoietic

* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (transfusion allowed)

Hepatic

* SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Lactic dehydrogenase normal
* No active hepatitis B or C infection

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Immunologic

* No history of autoimmune disease

  * Vitiligo allowed
* No history of immunodeficiency syndrome
* No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection within the past 72 hours
* HIV-1 or -2 negative
* Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus-I or -II negative

Other

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No contraindication to apheresis
* No other significant medical or surgical condition that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* No prior vaccine therapy with ≥ 1 melanoma antigen or peptide
* More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)

Endocrine therapy

* No concurrent chronic systemic corticosteroids

Radiotherapy

* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery

* Not specified

Other

* More than 4 weeks since prior investigational products
* More than 4 weeks since prior chronic systemic immunosuppressive treatment
* No concurrent medication or treatment regimen that would prelude study participation
* No other concurrent anticancer treatment
* No other concurrent immunosuppressive treatment