Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Using Boronophenylalanine-Fructose Complex in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed melanoma
• * Metastatic disease
• * Brain metastases, skin metastases, or soft tissue metastases of the head and neck or the extremities
• * Accessible lesion(s) for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)
• * No clear progression of disease at other sites than the ones intended for treatment with surgery and/or BNCT
• Measurable disease by MRI within the past 4 weeks
• * Lesion(s) ≥ 10 mm in diameter
• Indication for palliative radiotherapy that is intended to be delivered as BNCT
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• Karnofsky 70-100%
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Neutrophil count ≥ 2,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)\*
• Transaminases ≤ 2.5 times ULN\*
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN\* NOTE: \*Unless due to reversible reaction to antiseizure medication
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Blood urea nitrogen ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No congestive heart failure
• No newly diagnosed or unstable angina pectoris
• No uncontrolled arrhythmias
• No uncontrolled conduction defects
• No recent coronary artery disease
• No other severe heart disease
• Pulmonary
• No severe pulmonary disease, including severe obstructive or restrictive lung disease
• Other
• No history of phenylketonuria
• No severe gastrointestinal disease
• No active peptic ulcer disease
• No uncontrolled endocrine disease
• No pre-existing serious mental or organic brain disease (e.g., epilepsy)
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance
• Able to travel to the Netherlands via public transportation
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• No concurrent immunologic or biologic therapy
• No concurrent colony-stimulating factors (e.g., epoetin alfa or filgrastim \[G-CSF\])
• Chemotherapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent hormonal therapy
• Radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to site(s) proposed for study treatment
• No other concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other
• Recovered from all prior anti-tumor therapy (excluding alopecia and sensitive peripheral neuropathy ≤ grade 2)
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No other concurrent investigational drugs