• Amount of peptide-IFN-γ production by CD8+ T cells at baseline and after completion of study treatment [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Quantitation of specific T cells as assessed by peptide/major histocompatibility complex tetramers and flow cytometry at baseline and after every 3 courses [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Melanoma antigen gene expression as assessed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at baseline, every 3 courses, and after completion of study treatment [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Tumor biopsies as assessed by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and gene array analysis at baseline, every 3 courses, and after completion of study treatment [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• Amount of peptide-IFN-γ production by CD8+ T cells at baseline and after completion of study treatment
• Quantitation of specific T cells as assessed by peptide/major histocompatibility complex tetramers and flow cytometry at baseline and after every 3 courses
• Melanoma antigen gene expression as assessed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at baseline, every 3 courses, and after completion of study treatment
• Tumor biopsies as assessed by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and gene array analysis at baseline, every 3 courses, and after completion of study treatment

• Clinical response rate (complete and partial) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Tumor regression [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• Clinical response rate (complete and partial)
• Tumor regression

RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Interleukin-12 may kill tumor cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor. Interleukin-2 and interleukin-12 may stimulate a person's white blood cells to kill melanoma cells. Combining vaccine therapy and interleukin-12 with interleukin-2 may be a more effective treatment for metastatic melanoma.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying vaccine therapy, interleukin-12, and interleukin-2 to see how well they work compared to vaccine therapy and interleukin-12 in treating patients with metastatic melanoma.

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare peptide-interferon-gamma production by CD8+ T cells in patients with metastatic melanoma immunized with MAGE-3, Melan-A, gp100 antigen, and NA17-A peptide-pulsed autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells and interleukin-12 with or without low-dose interleukin-2.
• Compare the clinical response rate (complete and partial response) in patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, open-label study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive immunization comprising MAGE-3, Melan-A, gp100 antigen, and NA17-A peptide-pulsed autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells subcutaneously (SC) on day 1 and interleukin-12 (IL-12) SC on days 1, 3, and 5.
• Arm II: Patients receive immunization and IL-12 as in arm I and low-dose interleukin-2 SC on days 7-18.

Treatment in both arms repeats every 21 days for a total of 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients achieving an objective response or stable disease may receive additional treatment sets of 3 courses for up to a total of 9 courses.

Patients are followed every 8 weeks until disease progression and then at least every 3 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 36 patients (18 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study within 1.25 years.

• Biological: MART-1 antigen
• Biological: NA17-A antigen
• Biological: aldesleukin
• Biological: gp100 antigen
• Biological: recombinant MAGE-3.1 antigen
• Biological: recombinant interleukin-12
• Biological: therapeutic autologous lymphocytes

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed melanoma

  • Evidence of metastatic disease by radiological or physical examination
  • In-transit metastases allowed
• HLA-A2 positive

• No untreated brain metastases

  • Brain lesions successfully treated by stereotactic radiotherapy or surgery with no recurrence at 28-day follow-up are allowed

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

• SGPT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times ULN
• Lactic dehydrogenase less than 1.25 times ULN
• Hepatitis B and C negative

Renal

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN
• Calcium no greater than 11 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• No significant cardiovascular disease
• No cardiac arrhythmia requiring medical intervention

Immunologic

• HIV negative
• No intrinsic immunosuppression
• No serious concurrent infection, including active tuberculosis

• No prior or active autoimmune disease including:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatoid factor-positive with current or recent flare)
  • Inflammatory bowel disease

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus

    • Clinical evidence and antibody titer at least 1:80
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Scleroderma
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
  • Immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• No psychiatric illness that would preclude study compliance or giving informed consent
• No active gastrointestinal bleeding
• No uncontrolled peptic ulcer disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy
• No prior melanoma vaccine therapy containing the same MAGE-3, Melan-A, gp100 antigen, or NA17 peptides used in the study

Chemotherapy

• Prior chemotherapy allowed

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent systemic corticosteroids except physiologic replacement doses

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics

Other

• No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., cyclosporine)