Paclitaxel and GM-CSF in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable stage III or IV melanoma from a cutaneous, mucosal, or unknown primary site

  * Unresectable stage III disease, defined as meeting 1 of the following criteria:

    * Regional metastasis that, in the judgement of the treating physician, cannot be surgically resected with clear margins
    * Regional metastasis that can be surgically resected with clear margins only by extensive surgery that is inadvisable or unacceptable to the treating physician and/or patient
  * Staging of cutaneous and mucosal melanoma based on the revised American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system
* Must have measurable disease as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Small Tumors (RECIST) criteria
* No ocular melanoma
* Patients with brain metastases may be eligible if all of the following are true:

  * Total number of brain metastases ever is ≤ 3
  * Each brain metastasis has been completely removed by surgery or each unresected brain metastasis has been treated with stereotactic radiosurgery

    * Stereotactic radiosurgery, such as gamma knife, can be used up to 1 week before study entry
    * No evident growth of any brain metastasis since treatment
  * No brain metastasis that is \> 2 cm in diameter at study entry

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-1
* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin \> 9 g/dL
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Bilirubin normal
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
* No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No previous or concurrent autoimmune disorder requiring cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy
* No autoimmune disorder with visceral involvement

  * The following conditions are allowed:

    * Laboratory evidence of autoimmune disease (e.g., positive ANA titer) without symptoms
    * Clinical evidence of vitiligo
    * Other forms of depigmenting illness
    * Mild arthritis requiring steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
* HIV negative
* Hepatitis C negative
* No other serious or poorly controlled medical condition that could be exacerbated by or complicate compliance with study therapy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No more than 1 previous chemotherapy regimen for metastatic melanoma
* No previous paclitaxel
* No chemotherapy, interferon, growth factors, interleukin, or radiotherapy (excluding gamma knife therapy for brain metastases) within the past 4 weeks
* No surgical resection of metastatic lesions within the past 4 weeks
* No other investigational medication within the past 4 weeks or during study
* No nitrosoureas (e.g., carmustine or lomustine) within the past 6 weeks and during study treatment
* No other concurrent chemotherapy, interferon, other growth factors, interleukin, illegal drugs, radiotherapy, surgery, or steroid therapy
* No concurrent oral or injectable hydrocortisone (at doses \> 15 mg per day) or its equivalent