DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed solid tumors potentially expressing mutant ras, including colon, lung, pancreas, thyroid, endometrial, head and neck, testicular, hepatocellular, and melanoma

• Ras mutations must be one of the following point mutations at codon 12:

  • Glycine to cysteine
  • Glycine to aspartic acid
  • Glycine to valine
• Metastatic disease for which no known chemotherapy or radiotherapy would increase survival
• Tumor tissue must be available for determination of ras mutation
• No prior CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

• More than 3 months

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 2,000/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
• SGOT/SGPT no greater than 4 times normal
• No hepatitis B or C infection

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

• No active ischemic heart disease (New York Heart Association class III or IV)
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• No history of congestive heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, or other arrhythmias requiring therapy

Immunologic:

• No prior allergy to eggs

• No prior autoimmune disease, including the following:

  • Autoimmune neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or hemolytic anemia
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, or scleroderma
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Goodpasture syndrome
  • Addison's disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or active Graves' disease

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• No other active malignancy except curatively treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell skin cancer
• No active infection requiring antibiotics
• No medical condition that would preclude study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered

Endocrine therapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior steroids and recovered

Radiotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery:

• Not specified