DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed carcinoid tumor

  • Metastatic or unresectable local-regional disease
• Measurable disease
• No osseous metastasis as the only site of disease
• No history or clinical evidence of CNS disease (e.g., primary brain tumor or any brain metastasis)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-2 OR
• Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• See Immunologic
• Absolute granulocyte count > 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin > 8 g/dL
• No bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
• No hemoglobinopathies (e.g., thalassemia) or any other cause of hemolytic anemia

Hepatic

• Bilirubin < 1.5 mg/dL
• INR < 1.5 (if receiving warfarin)
• No evidence of decompensated liver disease (e.g., ascites, bleeding varices, or spontaneous encephalopathy)

Renal

• Creatinine < 1.5 mg/dL

• No baseline proteinuria

  • Patients with proteinuria (≥ 2+ or ≥ 100 mg/dL on urinalysis) are allowed provided 24-hour urinary protein is < 500 mg

Cardiovascular

• No New York Heart Association grade II-IV congestive heart failure
• No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
• No clinically significant peripheral vascular disease
• No history of stroke

• None of the following within the past 6 months:

  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Transient ischemic attack
  • Cerebrovascular accident
  • Unstable angina
  • Myocardial infarction

Pulmonary

• No chronic pulmonary disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• No documented pulmonary hypertension

Immunologic

• None of the following immunologically mediated diseases:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
  • Scleroderma
  • Severe psoriasis
• No serious concurrent infections
• No active infection requiring parental antibiotics on day 0
• No known hypersensitivity to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human antibodies
• No known hypersensitivity to interferon alfa or to any excipient or vehicle included in its formulation or delivery system

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No significant traumatic injury within the past 4 weeks
• No preexisting thyroid abnormality for which thyroid function can not be normalized by medication
• No concurrent nonmalignant uncontrolled medical illness or one whose control may be jeopardized by the complications of this study therapy
• No uncontrolled psychiatric disorder
• No psychiatric disorders that would preclude study compliance
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No serious nonhealing wound ulcer or bone fracture
• No seizures not controlled with standard medical therapy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Prior immunotherapy allowed

  • No prior interferon
• No concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, including radiosensitizers
• No more than 1 prior chemotherapy regimen, including radiosensitizers
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

  • Prior radiotherapy must not have contained the single evaluable lesion of this study in a radiation field
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery or open biopsy (1 week for minor surgery) and recovered

Other

• No concurrent or recent full-dose anticoagulants or thrombolytic agents (except as required to maintain patency of preexisting, permanent indwelling IV catheters)
• No concurrent chronic daily aspirin (more than 325 mg/day) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications known to inhibit platelet function