Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIB, Stage IIC, Stage III, or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma

  * Stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV disease

    * Patients free of disease after surgical resection must meet 1 of the following criteria:

      * Refused high-dose interferon alfa
      * Recurrence while on interferon alfa
    * Patients with stage IIB, IIC, or III disease must have already undergone initial standard therapy (i.e., surgery) for the disease
* Choroidal (uveal) melanoma allowed provided 1 of the following criteria is met:

  * Basal diameter \> 16 mm
  * Basal height \> 8 mm
  * Involvement of the ciliary body with tumor
* HLA-A\*0201 positive
* Negative serum antidouble-stranded DNA antibody screen
* No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Karnofsky performance status 80-100%
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
* Lactic dehydrogenase ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
* Bilirubin ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Albumin ≥ 3.5 mg/dL
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Weight ≥ 25 kg
* No preexisting choroidal eye disease
* No serious underlying medical conditions that could be exacerbated by study participation (i.e., active infections requiring antimicrobial drugs or active bleeding)
* No allergy to gold (i.e., gold jewelry)
* No evidence of any condition at the proposed site(s) of vaccine administration that might interfere with the interpretation of local skin reactions, including any of the following:

  * Damaged skin
  * Moles
  * Scars
  * Tattoos
  * Marks
* No prior medical condition or use of medication (e.g., corticosteroids) that might make it difficult for the patient to complete the full course of treatment or to respond immunologically to vaccines
* No history or evidence (within the past 5 years) of a physician-diagnosed chronic or recurrent inflammatory skin disease at the proposed site of vaccine administration, including any of the following:

  * Psoriasis
  * Eczema
  * Atopic dermatitis
  * Hypersensitivity
* No history of keloid formation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) and recovered
* No prior immunization with any class of vaccine containing gp100 peptide
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* No other concurrent systemic therapy or radiotherapy