Vaccine Therapy and Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma
• * Measurable disease
• * Disease progression while receiving prior standard treatment
• * No ocular or mucosal primary site
• No uncontrolled brain metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 16 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy
• More than 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• WBC at least 3,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 90,000/mm\^3
• No coagulation disorders
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.6 mg/dL (less than 3.0 mg/dL in patients with Gilbert's syndrome)
• AST/ALT less than 3 times normal
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C antibody negative
• Renal
• Creatinine no greater than 1.6 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• No major cardiovascular illness
• Pulmonary
• No major respiratory illness
• Immunologic
• HIV negative
• No autoimmune disease
• No active systemic infections
• No primary or secondary immunodeficiency (e.g., hereditary disorders such as ataxia-telangiectasia or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome or acquired immunodeficiencies after bone marrow transplantation)
• No allergy to eggs
• No prior allergy or untoward reaction to smallpox vaccination (if previously vaccinated)
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No close contact with the following individuals for 2 weeks after vaccinia vaccination:
• * Children under 5 years of age
• * Pregnant women
• * Individuals with prior or active eczema or other eczematoid skin disorders
• * Individuals with other acute, chronic, or exfoliative skin conditions (e.g., burns, impetigo, varicella zoster, severe acne, or other open rashes or wounds)
• * Immunosuppressed individuals
• No active atopic dermatitis
• No prior or active eczema
• No active cases of the following conditions:
• * Extensive psoriasis
• * Severe acneiform rash
• * Impetigo
• * Varicella zoster
• * Burns
• * Traumatic or pruritic skin conditions
• * Open wounds
• No unhealed surgical scars
• * Healed surgical stomas (e.g., colostomy) allowed
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No prior recombinant vaccinia or fowlpox vaccines for melanoma
• No prior vaccination with full length tyrosinase protein, or a vector encoding the full length protein for melanoma
• * Prior individual tyrosinase peptides are allowed
• No prior high-dose interleukin-2
• Chemotherapy
• Not specified
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent oral, IV, topical, or inhaled steroids
• Radiotherapy
• Not specified
• Surgery
• Recovered from prior surgery
• Other
• Recovered from prior therapy for melanoma
• More than 3 weeks since prior systemic therapy for melanoma
• No other concurrent systemic therapy for melanoma