ABT-510 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma

  * Stage IV disease
  * No known potentially curative standard therapy that exists or is proven capable of extending life expectancy
* Measurable disease
* No history of or current CNS metastases

  * MRI of the brain to confirm absence of CNS metastases within the past 28 days is required
* No known, presently active carcinomatous meningitis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
* ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST ≤ 3 times ULN
* Creatinine ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
* Prothrombin time normal
* Willing to return to Mayo Clinic Rochester, Jacksonville or Scottsdale for follow-up
* Must be able to self-administer or has a caregiver who can reliably administer subcutaneous injections
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No uncontrolled or current infection
* No New York Heart Association class III-IV heart disease
* No recent history of (i.e., ≤ 12 weeks from study day 1) or current cancer-related bleeding event (e.g., hemoptysis)
* No recent history of (within the past 4 weeks) or current noncancer-related clinically significant bleeding event
* No uncontrolled hypertension
* No history of stroke or other CNS bleeding events (e.g., aneurysms)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered (6 weeks for mitomycin C or nitrosoureas)
* At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy, biologic therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery
* No concurrent anticoagulation therapy or antiplatelet therapy
* No other concurrent antineoplastic agents (e.g., cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or investigational therapy) except local radiotherapy for supportive reasons involving a small radiation field