Anti-MART-1 F5 Lymphocytes to Treat High-Risk Melanoma Patients

* INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Primary melanomas with lesions that are ulcerated and greater than or equal to 2.0 mm, or any lesions that are greater than or equal to 4.0 mm in thickness, or greater than or equal to 1 positive lymph node, or local recurrence, or resected metastatic disease, within 6 months of surgical resection will be considered. Patients must be clinically disease free at the time of protocol entry as documented by radiologic studies within 6 weeks of patient entry. Patients must have pathologic confirmation of cutaneous melanoma, with slides reviewed at National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Department of Anatomic Pathology), and if the diagnosis is not confirmed, the patient will be excluded from the study.
  2. Human leukocyte antigens (HLA-A) 0201 positive.
  3. Age greater than or equal to18 years.
  4. Clinical performance status of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0 or 1.
  5. Able to understand and sign the Informed Consent Document.
  6. Patients of both genders must be willing to practice effective birth control during this trial because the potential for teratogenic effects are unknown. Effective birth control requires use of an effective method from the following list: Abstinence, Intrauterine device (IUD); Hormonal (Birth control pills, injections, implants); Tubal ligation; Cervical cap; or Partner's vasectomy
  7. Patients may have had prior adjuvant treatment with immunotherapy, including interferon, as long as 3 weeks have elapsed since prior systemic therapy.
  8. Serology:

     1. Seronegative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody. (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Patients who are HIV seropositive can have decreased immune -competence and thus be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities.)
     2. Seronegative for hepatitis B antigen and hepatitis C antibody unless antigen negative (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends upon an intact immune system and these conditions may have possible immune system effects).
  9. Hematology:

     1. Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1000/mm\^3 without the support of filgrastim.
     2. White blood cell (WBC) (greater than 3000/mm\^3).
     3. Platelet count greater than 90,000/mm\^3.
     4. Hemoglobin greater than 8.0 g/dl.
  10. Chemistry:

      1. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) less or equal to 2.5 times the upper limit of normal.
      2. Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.6 mg/dl.
      3. Total bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 mg/dl, except in patients with Gilbert's Syndrome who must have a total bilirubin less than 3.0 mg/dl.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Ocular or mucosal melanoma.
2. Undergoing or have undergone in the past 3 weeks any systemic therapy except surgery for their cancer, and must have recovered to a grade 1 from any adverse effects of treatment prior to entry, other than those that do not have clinical implications, e.g. vitiligo, alopecia.
3. Have autoimmune disease (such as autoimmune colitis or Crohn's disease) or any known immunodeficiency disease, as evidenced by abnormal white blood count (WBC) count.
4. Concurrent systemic steroid therapy.
5. Known systemic hypersensitivity to any of the vaccine components, including egg products or Neomycin.
6. Women of child-bearing potential who are pregnant or breastfeeding because of the potentially dangerous effects of the treatment on the fetus or infant.
7. Have active systemic infections including concurrent opportunistic infections (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Patients who have decreased immune competence may be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities).
8. Previous immunization with melanoma antigen recognized by T cells (MART-1).
9. Known hypersensitivity to any of the agents used in this study.